History Main / FiveSecondRule

* ''Oh Brother'': In [[https://www.gocomics.com/oh-brother/2023/07/11 this comic]], Bud and his friend are making popcorn, with the friend explaning the five second rule to Bud. Bud however concludes his friend likely doesn't own a dog when his dog eats the popcorn that falls on the ground within those five seconds.

* WesternAnimation/TeamToon: After Miss Monica drops a thermos flask containing soup on the ground, Iko asks if the trope applies to soup too. Before anyone can stop him, he pulls out a piece of bread and mops up the floor soup with it, much to everyone's disgust.

* ''Manga/{{Nichijou}}'': An early segement features Yukko desperately and over-dramatically trying to prevent a wiener from her lunch from hitting the floor. She ultimately fails, but as the food hits the floor Yukko is desperately and over-dramatically counting to three as she gets it, eats it, and declares herself safe thanks to the 3-second rule.

* ''Drabble:'' Ralph drops a french fry on the floor of the living room, and declares "Five second rule!" before retrieving it. He then sees ''another'' fry under the couch and eats that too, prompting his wife to quip "I see you also have a five-''year'' rule."

* ''Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Catarina Claes is the [[{{Isekai}} reincarnation of a girl from modern day Japan]] in the world of her favorite Otome-game, ''Fortune Lover''. Carrying with her the memories of her former life after a blow to the head, she drops any adherence to social protocol and behaves in a very undignified and tomboyish way, to the exasperation of her mother, Millidiana. Of particular exasperation to her mother is Catarina's willingness to eat food off the floor by declaring "Three-second Rule" (She is a royal, after all. Got to set ''some'' standards). Catarina even earns the affections of the original game protagonist, Maria, after saving her from some bullies and eating Maria's homemade muffins from off the ground where the bullies had dumped them!

* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'': A somewhat serious example. In season 5, during a domino surgery in which eight people donate kidneys to eight other patients, Meredith Grey is walking with the donor kidney for her patient, but it slips from her hands and falls on the OR floor. She and Bailey stare back and forth between each other and the kidney on the floor, before Bailey yells out, "Five second rule! Five second rule!"

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': PlayedForLaughs. In "[[Recap/HowIMetYourMotherS7E15TheBurningBeekeeper The Burning Beekeeper]]", Lily makes a cheese fall on the floor so no one can eat it, but Robin reminds her about the 5 second rule. Lily then stomps the cheese into pieces, and Robin tells her that the 5 seconds have passed anyway.

* ''Anime/TheDemonGirlNextDoor'': Referenced. When Yuuko seemingly passes out, as the switch on the Ancestor Statue has been flipped, allowing Lilith to take over Yuuko's body, Momo initially asks if Yuuko had been eating food off the ground. Her classmate, Anri, "helpfully" says that even Yuuko isn't that pathetic.

Whatever surface is used, though, count on at least on person to react with {{Squick}}.

The exact origins of the "Five Second" Rule are unclear, but the first written account of the rule is from a 1995 book, ''Wanted: Rowing Coach'' by Brad Allen Lewis.