History Main / StatusQuoGameShow

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "Boss Mabel" Grunkle Stan goes on the ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' parody "Cash Wheel". While he wins around 300,000 dollars, he ends up betting his entire sum on a word he didn't know. "Please".

* The [[PerpetualPoverty perpetually poor]] Weasley family wins a sweepstakes at the beginning of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban''. They promptly blow the prize on a trip to Egypt, but the winner's photo published in the paper becomes a major ChekhovsGun. Totally averted at the end of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', when Harry gives his Tri-Wizard winnings to the Weasley twins: They use the money to start up their own business and are notably wealthier for the remainder of the series.

** Canon also implies they didn't spend it all immediately, either; Ron's parents buy him a brand-new broom in ''Literature/OrderOfThePhoenix'', with the only reaction being at the thought that Ron might want a top-of-the-range broom (Ron asked for a cheaper, though still just released broom) while in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', they worried about being able to afford everyone's supplies. The difference in supplies wasn't that much less (figure about $160 difference, or about 32 galleons). A broom is likely something around 500-1000 galleons, if not more. Ergo, they have more money from somewhere. They don't take charity, so it can't be from Dumbledore. The twins hadn't set up Weasley's Wizard Wheezies yet, so the money couldn't have come from there, either (also, at about $5 to the galleon, they won around $50k. A trip to Egypt from the UK would be roughly 1K at most). Ergo, most of the winnings were probably saved.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Marge in the red on ''Jeopardy!'' Trebek actually confronts her after the taping, demanding all the money she lost.

*** Inverted when the Simpsons win a Japanese game show...because the prize is a plane ticket back to the U.S., without which they'd be stranded in Japan.
*** In the episode "Dog of Death," Homer enters a $130 million state lottery 50 times and still loses to Springfield news anchor Kent Brockman, who already makes $500,000 a year.

** ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' had a more literal Gyp-Parody example. Buster Bunny hosted; Calamity Coyote, Dizzy Devil, and Elmyra Duff were the contestants. None were able to win anything: Calamity because his buzzer didn't work, Dizzy because he was too busy eating his podium, and Elmyra because, well, she's a moron. The game ends with Elmyra's repeated blunders driving Buster completely nuts and Babs quietly wheeling him off.

* On ''Series/MamasFamily'', Mama winds up on ''Jeopardy''. At first she does horribly, but some lucky answers get her to the final round with a decent amount of cash. In a subversion, she wins second place, a trip to Hawaii -thereby setting up a story arc.

* ''Series/LateNight with Creator/JimmyFallon'' had a sketch called "Wheel of Game Shows", a SpinOff of the equally-bizarre [[{{Calvinball}} Wheel of Carpet Samples]] where contestants have to play bizarre minigames that are either poorly explained or impossible to win. If you land on the picture of Creator/SteveGuttenberg, you lose ''and'' owe the show $75. When everyone loses, Fallon announces a tiebreaker game such as "Brownie Points", which he assumes the contestants know how to play (apparently you're supposed to ''stack'' the brownies, not eat them). Inevitably no one actually wins, so they all receive consolation prizes instead. The segment has included such exciting games as ""Find the Red Tissue" (hint, it's ''not'' in the box), "Remember That Episode Of ''Series/FullHouse''?", "''Series/{{iCarly}}'' Trivia vs. Music/TheRoots", "Tarantula Bonanza", and "You Can't Possibly Win!"

* ''Series/LateNight with Creator/JimmyFallon'' had a sketch called "Wheel of Game Shows", a SpinOff of the equally-bizarre [[{{Calvinball}} Wheel of Carpet Samples]] where contestants have to play bizarre minigames that are poorly explained or otherwise impossible to win, with one episode featuring a "spot the difference" game where Fallon denied the existence of the answer, a game of "Find the Red Tissue" having the red tissue be [[MoonLogicPuzzle on the bottom of the tissue box instead of inside it]], and a rebus puzzle having the UnexpectedlyObscureAnswer "Play my sports" ("[[BallsGag Tickle my balls]]" was incorrect). When everyone loses, Fallon assumes they know how to play the tiebreaker game "Brownie Points" (apparently you're supposed to stack them, ''not'' eat them). Inevitably no one actually wins, so they all receive consolation prizes instead. Other episodes included such exciting games as "Remember That Episode Of ''Series/FullHouse''?", "''Series/{{iCarly}}'' Trivia vs. The Roots", "Tarantula Bonanza", and "You Can't Possibly Win!" Plus if you land on the picture of Creator/SteveGuttenberg, you lose ''and'' owe the show $75.

* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': Cliff Clavin breezes through an entire game of ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', ending with a ton of money in the bank and a huge lead ... and then bets the whole thing on Final Jeopardy. His answer is not merely wrong, but positively [[InsaneTrollLogic bizarre]]. The failure was so spectacular and so well-known that even Creator/AlexTrebek refers to blowing a guaranteed win by betting it all in the final as "[[WhatAnIdiot pulling a Clavin]]."

* In one episode of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Niles won an SUV when he had to make a half-court throw at a basketball game. He planned to use it to go antiquing.
** But, because Status Quo Is God, he instead ended up donating it to a policeman's charity.

* ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'': Felix and Oscar appear on ''Password'', where they lose (and Felix has to be forcibly ejected), and ''Let's Make a Deal'', where they win but their winnings are immediately confiscated.

*** Subverted when Angelica wins the contest, and Drew, who has no use for the boat, gives it to Lou.

[[folder:Anime And Manga]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* In ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', the twins would have done extremely well had Cody not decided to be greedy and 'Risk It All!' Guess what the [[{{Aesop}} lesson of]] the story was...

* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': Cliff Claven breezes through an entire game of ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', ending with a ton of money in the bank and a huge lead ... and then bets the whole thing on Final Jeopardy. His answer is not merely wrong, but positively [[InsaneTrollLogic bizarre]]. The failure was so spectacular and so well-known that even Creator/AlexTrebek refers to blowing a guaranteed win by betting it all in the final as "[[WhatAnIdiot pulling a Claven]]."

* The ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "I Take Thee Quagmire" began with Peter on ''Series/WheelOfFortune'', where he somehow wins the bonus round with no letters showing (after picking Z, 4, [[RuleOfThree Q, Q, Q,]] and the Franchise/{{Batman}} logo as his letters). One of the prizes he won from [[RetiredGameShowElement shopping]] was a week of maid service -- which sets up the plot for the rest of the episode.

* On ''Seriea/MamasFamily'', Mama winds up on ''Jeopardy''. At first she does horribly, but some lucky answers get her to the final round with a decent amount of cash. In a subversion, she wins second place, a trip to Hawaii -thereby setting up a story arc.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'': Lor has to make 3 straight free throws for $10,000.

* ''Series/LateNight with Creator/JimmyFallon'' had a sketch called "Wheel of Game Shows", a SpinOff of the equally-bizarre [[{{Calvinball}} Wheel of Carpet Samples]] where contestants have to play bizarre minigames that are poorly explained or otherwise impossible to win, with one episode featuring a "spot the difference" game where Fallon denied the existence of the answer, a game of "Find the Red Tissue" having the red tissue be [[MoonLogicPuzzle on the bottom of the tissue box instead of inside it]], and a rebus puzzle having the UnexpectedlyObscureAnswer "Play my sports" (rejecting the contestant's guess of "[[BallsGag Tickle my balls]]"). When everyone loses, Fallon assumes they know how to play the tiebreaker game "Brownie Points" (apparently you're supposed to stack them, ''not'' eat them). Inevitably no one actually wins, so they all receive consolation prizes instead. Other episodes included such exciting games as "Remember That Episode Of ''Series/FullHouse''?", "''Series/{{iCarly}}'' Trivia vs. The Roots", "Tarantula Bonanza", and "You Can't Possibly Win!" Plus if you land on the picture of Creator/SteveGuttenberg, you lose ''and'' owe the show $75.