History Main / WrongGuyFirst

* In Disney's ''[[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Frozen]]'', [[spoiler: this is the signature twist of the story. Upending ''years'' of Franchise/DisneyPrincess stories that stick close to LoveAtFirstSight, this film reveals that Prince Hans is ''anything'' but good for Anna, and only in it for himself. Indeed, the very concept of LoveAtFirstSight is attacked by pointing out that it is foolish to give your heart to someone you've ''only just met''. How it all plays out must be seen to be appreciated.]]
** Elsa actually lampshades this: "You can't marry a man you just met."

** ''Film/HopeFloats''. Here the initial decision is made pre-movie, but she's unceremoniously dumped on live television after he reveals he's cheating on her. The rest of the movie is about her moving back home and rekindling an old flame (while her daughter still idolizes her now-ex...with [[TearJerker eventually tragic results]].)

** In ''ComicBook/SpiderManLovesMaryJane'', M.J initially nurses a crush on the daring SuperHero Spider-Man, but after an awkward date with him eventually comes to the realization that she's ''actually'' in love with her geeky algebra tutor Peter Parker. Anyone who is familiar with the mythos will tell you the [[SecretIdentity irony]] inherent in this little [[TwoPersonLoveTriangle set-up]].
** M.J also goes through something similar with charming-but-manipulative Harry Osborn, although mainly because Peter has started dating Gwen Stacy instead (hint: the romantic entanglements the teenagers in this 'Verse go through are complex indeed) but eventually breaks it off with him. In something of a reverse, Harry actually ''is'' in love with her, but M.J isn't in love with him and feels it would be unfair to string him along.

* Played with in the plot of ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} NewMoon]]'': perfect prince Edward leaves Bella and sincere IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy poster guy (for this book at least) Jacob happily sweeps up the ashes and befriends her. Subverted in that Wrong Guy First comes back in the end, and the rest of the series keeps them together from then on.

* ''Salaam-e-Ishq'': One of the stories follows a white girl, Stephanie, falling in love with Hindu Rohit who initially appears to reciprocate. When they eventually reunite after he goes missing, he rejects her in favor of a proper Hindu girl in an arranged marriage, dismissing her as some foreign chick who doesn't even speak their language. This earns him a slap from Raju, the taxi driver whom fell in love with her over the course of the search, and their arc ends with heartbroken Stephanie getting together with him.

* Also in one of the love stories in Salaam-e-Ishq. It's a white girl falling in love with a Hindu man who loved her back and pretended their relationship was real. But when push came to shove, he decided he was going to marry a proper Hindu girl in an arranged marriage and not a foreign chick who doesn't even speak their language. The resolution is lovely.

** ''Literature/{{Emma}}'' and Frank.

* The plot of New Moon is this to letter-perfect prince Edward leaves Bella and sincere I-Want-My-Beloved-To-Be-Happy poster guy (for this book at least) Jacob happily sweeps up the ashes and befriends her. Subverted in that Wrong Guy First comes back in the end...

* Inverted by Haruna of ''Manga/HighSchoolDebut''. She initially falls for Fumi, a perfect example of Suitor #2, but instead ends up with Yoh, a textbook example of Suitor #1.
* In ''Anime/TheTowerOfDruaga'', Fatina falls for TheStoic [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys bad boy]] [[AloofOlderBrother Neeba]] in ''The Aegis of Uruk'', but after [[spoiler:Neeba and Kaaya's betrayal]], develops feelings for Neeba's younger half-brother [[TheHero Jil]]. But this trope is subverted in the end in that Jil never gets over Kaaya and the two eventually make up, leaving Fatina as a romantic loose end once more.

* ''Manga/BoysOverFlowers'' plays this trope nearly perfectly during the series.
* In ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'' Yona spent years pining after [[ChildhoodFriends Soowon]] [[spoiler: until he murders her father and orders for her to be killed for witnessing it]]. She is saved in the knick of time by HopelessSuitor [[ChildhoodFriends Hak]], [[spoiler: who she eventually falls for as the series goes on]].

* Also in one of the love stories in Salaam-e-Ishq. It's a white girl falling in love with a Hindu man who loved her back and pretended their relationship was real. But when push came to shove, he decided he was going to marry a proper Hindu girl in an arranged marriage and not a foreign chick who doesn't even speak their language. The resolution is lovely.
* Noni is as happy as she can be with Kid Culprit in Film/BeyondTheLights before Kaz comes along, which, as she's suffering from [[DrivenToSuicide severe depression]], isn't saying much. Her relationship with Kaz overlaps with Kid Culprit and it becomes pretty clear to her that Kaz is the better guy- leading to her swiftly ending things with the rapper. She [[TookALevelInJerkAss DEFINITELY]] made the right choice!

* ''Series/GossipGirl'' has that in a way: Blair chooses Nate (the good guy) over Chuck (the bad guy) even though the former cheated on her with her best friend (whom he was actually in love with) and the latter was always there for her and showed a hitherto-unknown human side when he started to like her.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'', in the Backstory, features Rachel choosing Chip instead of Ross (she reveals in the Pilot that she knew about his feelings so it's not an oblivious choice). The former cheats on her, the latter eventually (as in many years later) becomes the love of her life.
** Monica has ''two'' wrong guys first: To be fair both of them, one a CoolOldGuy and the other a SelfMadeMan, ''were'' good guys any girl would be lucky to have, they just weren't good for Monica. (Richard was unsuited at a different stage of his life, while she and Pete were TooMuchAlike.) Meanwhile, her best friend, neurotic, commitment-phobic, relationship-screw up Chandler hinted he had feelings for her a few times, which she took as a joke. They finally fell in love and were HappilyMarried for years.
* Discussed in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. In season eight, Future Ted says that a man will always make one final, horrible mistake before meeting the woman he'll marry. This manifests in the present when younger Ted decides to start dating his StalkerWithACrush a few months before he meets the Mother at Barney and Robin's wedding.

* Double subverted in an episode of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''. A young woman has two suitors, a rich one she doesn't care for and a poor one she does. The poor one asks her to run off with him. Her future self later chases her younger self on horseback, begging her not to marry the wrong man... [[BettyAndVeronicaSwitch the poor one]], who turned out to be a money-hungry bastard and ruined her life.
* In "{{Series/The Vampire Diaries}}", Elena loved Stefan first and thought that she would always love Stefan. She cared for Damon but didn't develop feelings for him until the end of season 2. To make it even better, her feelings for Damon become even more obvious at the beginning of season 3 when Stefan leaves with Klaus, switches his humanity off, and once again becomes the monstrous killer that he used to be. Damon then becomes her confidant and a method of comfort. Later on in the series, they date and are most likely the series's endgame.
* In ''Series/RepublicOfDoyle'', Rose's first husband was a con artist. She found [[SecondLove the right guy]] after he went to jail.
* In ''Series/{{Glee}}'', Rachel chooses [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys bad boy Jesse first]]. No one was surprised when he treated her like crap after he got what he wanted out of her [[spoiler: which was reuniting Rachel with her biological mother. Who is also Jesse's choir director, who told him to do it.]] He still egged her, though, which was definitely the asshole thing to do. Later she and [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan Finn]] (who has been teased all season long) get together.
* In ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'', Geraldine falls for David's brother, the cad, Simon. She ends up marrying the accountant Harry.
* There was a male on ''{{Series/Skins}}'', with Chris initially going after Angie, his psychology teacher. As you can expect with a TeacherStudentRomance, it didn't end well. So he ended up with his best friend, Jal, who was willing to be there for him. [[spoiler: He did consider going back to Angie for a time, but ultimately realized Jal was the best choice.]]

* Scarily played straight in an episode of ''Series/BeyondBeliefFactOrFiction'' which has a young woman going to a match-making service. The elderly woman running the business has a son who she feels the woman may be interested in, but she ends up with a seemingly charming man, who one day as they're out driving and ostensibly run into some car trouble, [[MoodWhiplash decides to rape and murder her.]] After attempting to flee from him on foot, he catches up with her, only for the son to almost materialize out of nowhere, find them and fight off the attacker. They end up together after that.
* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': This exact situation is why Joe West refused to give Eddie Thawne his blessing when he asked for permission to ask Iris West to marry him. Joe knew she was really in love with best friend Barry Allen and knew that if she married Eddie, she would eventually realize she married the wrong guy. Eddie himself contemplated this and it factored in his decision to break up with Iris. Iris herself, however, doesn't care if the one she's meant to be with is Barry, as, at the time, she only had eyes for Eddie. Ultimately, all of this is rendered moot when Eddie commits a HeroicSuicide in the Season 1 finale to stop Season 1 BigBad and his descendant, Eobard Thawne.

* Used in the plot of "The Way We Was" in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Marge goes with Artie Ziff to the prom, but afterwards, he reveals himself as a total self-centered sleaze who initially attempts to force himself on her. After [[ArmorPiercingSlap slapping him]] in the face and eventually leaving him in disgust, she realizes she cares for Homer instead.

* Double subverted in an episode of ''Series/TheTwilightZone''. A young woman has two suitors, a rich one she doesn't care for and a poor one she does. The poor one asks her to run off with him. Her future self later chases her younger self on horseback, begging her not to marry the wrong man... [[BettyAndVeronicaSwitch the poor one]], who turned out to be a money-hungry bastard and ruined her life.

* In ''Series/VicarOfDibley'', Geraldine falls for David's brother, the cad, Simon. She ends up marrying the accountant Harry.
* There was a male version on ''{{Series/Skins}}'', with Chris initially going after Angie, his psychology teacher. As you can expect with a TeacherStudentRomance, it didn't end well. So he ended up with his best friend, Jal, who was willing to be there for him. [[spoiler: He did consider going back to Angie for a time, but ultimately realized Jal was the best choice.]]

Maybe Suitor #1 leaves town for a while and returns with a fiancee. Maybe [[ParentalMarriageVeto his parents]] persuade him that our heroine isn't good enough for him. Maybe our heroine has money problems, or family problems, or health problems, and Suitor #1 uses them as an excuse to break things off. Maybe he keeps coming up with excuses to put off the marriage (UnableToSupportAWife, for example). By his actions, he has shown himself to be the wrong guy.

Compare with FalseSoulmate, LastGirlWins and RomanticFalseLead (which often overlap with this trope). The inversion is FirstGirlWins. Compare and contrast with FirstGirlAfterAll.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Three events in ''Manga/PeachGirl'' are within lumping range of this trope, but in the first two, the demonstration of wrongness is false, and the third [[spoiler:isn't so much Wrong Guy First as it is ''Less Right'' Guy First]].
* Inverted by Haruna of ''Manga/HighSchoolDebut''. She initially falls for Fumi, a perfect example of Suitor #2, but instead ends up with Yoh, textbook example of Suitor #1.

* In ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'' Oscar pines for Fersen for years...before she realizes she truly loves Andre.

* In ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'' Yona spent years pining after [[ChildhoodFriends Soowon]] [[spoiler:until he murders her father and orders for her to be killed for witnessing it]]. She is saved in the knick of time by HopelessSuitor [[ChildhoodFriends Hak]], [[spoiler:who she eventually falls for as the series goes on]].

[[folder:Comic Books]]

** M.J also goes through something similar with charming-but-manipulative Harry Osborn, although mainly because Peter has started dating Gwen Stacy instead (hint: the romantic entanglements the teenagers in this 'Verse go through are complex indeed), but eventually breaks it off with him. In something of a reverse, Harry actually ''is'' in love with her, but M.J isn't in love with him and feels it would be unfair to string him along.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* In Disney's ''[[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Frozen]]'', [[spoiler:this is the signature twist of the story. Upending ''years'' of Franchise/DisneyPrincess stories that stick close to LoveAtFirstSight, this film reveals that Prince Hans is ''anything'' but good for Anna, and only in it for himself. Indeed, the very concept of LoveAtFirstSight is attacked by pointing out that it is foolish to give your heart to someone you've ''only just met''. How it all plays out must be seen to be appreciated.]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

** ''Film/BridgetJonesDiary''; Bridget initially pursues her boss, professional cad Daniel Cleaver (against her better judgement), and resists pursuing right man Mark Darcy as she believes he had an affair with Daniel's fiancee [[spoiler:when, in fact, it was Daniel who had an affair with Mark's wife]].

* Major part of the plot of the UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} film ''Film/JabWeMet''. The two main characters meet on a train and through a series of misadventures end up going on a road trip throughout India together. Although Aditya falls in love with her fairly quickly, Geet... already has a boyfriend. [[spoiler:She loses interest after said boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her after she traveled all that way to see him.]]

* Also in one of the love stories in Salaam-e-Ishq. It's a white girl, falling in love with a Hindu man, who loved her back and pretended their relationship was real. But when push came to shove, he decided he was going to marry a proper Hindu girl, arranged marriage, and not a foreign chick who doesn't even speak their language. The resolution is lovely.

[[folder:Literature]]

* The plot of New Moon is this to letter - perfect prince Edward leaves Bella and sincere I-Want-My-Beloved-To-Be-Happy poster guy (for this book at least) Jacob happily sweeps up the ashes and befriends her. Subverted in that Wrong Guy First comes back in the end...
* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all date at least one person before getting together with their future husband/wife. At the age of seventeen/eighteen.

* Nicole Baart's trilogy beginning with ''After The Leaves Fall'' plays around with this a ''lot''. In "After The Leaves Fall", [[spoiler:Thomas]] is the wrong guy for Julia and [[spoiler:Parker]] would seem to be the right guy...[[spoiler:until she becomes pregnant with his child and he leaves her]]. In "Summer Snow", [[spoiler:a new right guy, Michael, comes in]]...and in the final book, "Beneath The Night Tree", [[spoiler:Michael becomes the wrong guy, and a regretful Parker returns, revealing that he was the right guy all along]].
* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', [[spoiler:Gale is the wrong guy, and Peeta is the right guy]]. However, [[spoiler:Peeta is the kinder and more charming of the two, and Katniss doesn't want any relationship at all initially and is also doubtful about Gale to begin with]].
* In Creator/PGWodehouse's ''Hot Water'', Packy is engaged to Beatric at the opening -- she thinks she can make a man of culture out of him -- and Jane is engaged to Blair Eggleston, who writes very literary novels. They both get out of them.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]

** Monica has ''two'' wrong guys first: To be fair both of them, one a CoolOldGuy and the other a SelfMadeMan, ''were'' good guys any girl would be lucky to have, they just weren't good for Monica. (Richard was unsuited at a different stage of his life, while she and Pete were TooMuchAlike.) Meanwhile, her best friend, neurotic, commitment-phobic, relationship-screw up Chandler hinted he had feelings for her in a few times, which she took as a joke. They finally fell in love and were HappilyMarried for years.

* In "{{Series/The Vampire Diaries}}", Elena loved Stefan first and though that she would always love Stefan. She cared for Damon but didn't develop feelings for him until the end of season 2. To make it even better, her feelings for Damon become even more obvious at the beginning of season 3 when Stefan leaves with Klaus, switches his humanity off, and once again becomes the monstrous killer that he used to be. Damon then becomes her confidant and a method of comfort. Later on in the series, they date and are most likely the series endgame.

** In the first season, Leslie had a crush on Mark, which stemmed from a brief fling they had some years before the pilot. Mark, however, was [[TheCasanova the local Casanova]] and held no romantic feelings towards Leslie whatsoever. Eventually, Mark was PutOnABus and replaced by Ben Wyatt, [[spoiler:whom Leslie would go on to happily marry in Season 5]].

** Ann herself was the Wrong Girl First for Andy, who spent most of the time after she broke up with him trying to win her back before finally giving up. He would go on to find long-lasting love with [[spoiler:April]].
** Ron went through ''two'' disastrous marriages (the first to a cold and domineering ice queen, the second to a [[TheVamp nymphomaniac]]; both were named Tammy) before finding true love with the down-to-earth and sensible [[spoiler:Diane]].

* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': This exact situation is why Joe West refused to give Eddie Thawne his blessing when he asked for permission to ask Iris West to marry him. Joe knew she was really in love with best friend Barry Allen, and knew that if she married Eddie, she would eventually realize she married the wrong guy. Eddie himself contemplated this and it factored in his decision to break up with Iris. Iris herself, however, doesn't care if the one she's meant to be with is Barry, as, at the time, she only had eyes for Eddie. Ultimately, all of this is rendered moot when Eddie commits a HeroicSuicide in the Season 1 finale to stop Season 1 BigBad and his descendant, Eobard Thawne.

[[folder:Music]]

[[folder:Theatre]]

[[folder:Video Games]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]

** In the GrandFinale [[spoiler:Korra and Asami get a RelationshipUpgrade,]] meaning that Mako was the wrong guy all along.

* In ''[[Literature/{{Dragons}} The Last Dragon Chronicles]]'' Sophie is David's WrongGirlFirst. He ends up falling in love with Zanna instead, but they stay friendly enough.

* Major part of the plot of ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} Jab We Met]]''. The two main characters meet on a train and through a series of misadventures end up going on a road trip throughout India together. Although Aditya falls in love with her fairly quickly, Geet... already has a boyfriend. [[spoiler:She loses interest after said boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her after she traveled all that way to see him.]]
* ''[[Bollywood/KoiMilGaya Koi... Mil Gaya]]''. The two main characters are rich girl Nisha and mentally disabled Rohit who become friends after Nisha learns about Rohit's disability and they both hide and protect the stranded alien Jadoo. However, Nisha's childhood friend Raj wants to marry her and has the approval of her parents despite being a vicious bully to Rohit. [[spoiler: Rohit is later given powers by Jadoo. This causes Nisha to fall in love with him and she terminates her friendship with Raj permanently.]]

->''Find the perfect guy''
->''Maybe I should be holding on''
->''And with you I could''
->''Til the right man comes along''
-->-- '''Music/TinaTurner''', “Til the Right Man Comes Along”

!!Examples

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]

* In ''Manga/RoseOfVersailles'' Oscar pines for Fersen for years...before she realizes she truly loves Andre.

* In ''ComicBook/SpiderManLovesMaryJane'', M.J initially nurses a crush on the daring SuperHero Spider-Man, but after an awkward date with him eventually comes to the realization that she's ''actually'' in love with her geeky algebra tutor Peter Parker. Anyone who is familiar with the ''Comicbook/SpiderMan'' mythos will tell you the [[SecretIdentity irony]] inherent in this little [[TwoPersonLoveTriangle set-up]].

[[folder:Films - Animated]]

[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Henry of ''Roleplay/NanQuest'', to the extreme. He's the first character Nan meets face-to-face, and it's a silly, romcom-like introduction at that. He's also an innocent PrettyBoy who entered the hotel at the same time as Nan and protects her at numerous points. So obviously they're soulmates, right? Nope! [[spoiler:He's a serial killer who was trying to manipulate Nan into lowering her guard.]] In a subversion, there is no "right guy" -- Nan ends the story with no LoveInterest.
[[/folder]]

* In the first season of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Mako is faced with choosing between [[BettyAndVeronica Korra and Asami]] and chooses Asami. This [[ShipSinking doesn't work out]] for various [[LoveEpiphany reasons]] and he becomes an official couple with Korra by season end. This turns out to be a subversion though as they're broken up during season 2.
** In the {{Grand Finale}} [[spoiler: Korra and Asami get a {{Relationship Upgrade}},]] meaning that Mako was the wrong guy all along.

This story often has a happy ending. All that's needed is for the heroine to recognize that Suitor #2 is [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan the right guy]], and fall in love with him. He never cares that he's her [[SecondLove second choice]].

* In the first season of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Mako is faced with choosing between [[BettyAndVeronica Korra and Asami]] and chooses Asami. This [[ShipSinking doesn't work out]] for [[YourCheatingHeart various]] [[LoveEpiphany reasons]] and he becomes an official couple with Korra by season end. This turns out to be a subversion though as they're broken up during season 2.

** In the {{Grand Finale}} [[spoiler: [[BiTheWay Korra and Asami]] get a {{Relationship Upgrade}},]] meaning that Mako was the wrong guy all along.

* ''Manga/HanaYoriDango'' plays this trope nearly perfectly during the series.

Our heroine is a young woman with two suitors. Suitor #1 is [[RichSuitorPoorSuitor rich]] and handsome. He is charming, witty and charismatic. He seems to be everything a young woman would want. [[DerailingLoveInterests But he's not]].

Maybe Suitor #1 leaves town for a while, and returns with a fiancee. Maybe [[ParentalMarriageVeto his parents]] persuade him that our heroine isn't good enough for him. Maybe our heroine has money problems, or family problems, or health problems, and Suitor #1 uses them as an excuse to break things off. Maybe he keeps coming up with excuses to put off the marriage (UnableToSupportAWife, for example). By his actions, he has shown himself to be the wrong guy.

In many cases, Suitor #1 may be the local bad boy, because... [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys well, you know]]. If a character can never choose between two suitors, then this is a case of BettyAndVeronica instead. Compare FirstGirlWins. This same general plot can work with the genders inverted, so that it's the Wrong Girl First.

* ''[[Bollywood/KoiMilGaya Koi... Mil Gaya]]''. The two main charecters are rich girl Nisha and mentally disabled Rohit who become friends after Nisha learns about Rohit's disability and they both hide and protect the stranded alien Jadoo. However, Nisha childhood friend Raj wants to marry her and has the approval of her parents despite being a vicious bully to Rohit. [[spoiler: Rohit is later given powers by Jadoo. This causes Nisha to fall in love with him and she terminates her freindship with Raj permenantly.]]

** In ''Literature/CanYouForgiveHer'', two women go through this. Glencora loves the abominable Burgo, but ends up marrying the solid Plantagenet. Alice initially loves her cousin George, but after he goes through a wild period breaks it off and becomes engaged to bland but respectful John Gray. Mrs. Greenow doesn't really fit this trope.

* Done ''twice'' in ''Literature/TheGardellaVampireChronicles.'' Victoria has three love interests within the books. She marries Phillip, who gets vamped and she has to stake him. Later she has a fuckbuddy-type relationship with [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Sebastian]], but is obviously going to end up with Max.

* In ''Literature/GreatExpectations'', Estella marries the abusive Bentley Drummle, Pip's rival, to spite Miss Havisham. He is later killed in a horse riding accident, and in the RevisedEnding (in the original ending she remarries with a different man), she reunites with Pip in a MaybeEverAfter scene.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** Monica has ''two'' wrong guys first: To be fair both of them, one a CoolOldGuy and the other a SelfMadeMan, ''were'' good guys any girl would be lucky to have, they just weren't good for Monica. (Richard was unsuited at a different stage of his life, while she and Pete were TooMuchAlike.) Meanwhile, her best friend, neurotic, commitment phobic, relationship-screw up Chandler hinted he had feelings for her in a few times, which she took as a joke. They finally fell in love and were HappilyMarried for years.

* In "{{Series/The Vampire Diaries}}", Elena loved Stefan first and though that she would always love Stefan. She cared for Damon, but didn't develop feelings for him until the end of season 2. To make it even better, her feelings for Damon become even more obvious in the beginning of season 3 when Stefan leaves with Klaus, switches his humanity off, and once again becomes the monsterous killer that he used to be. Damon then becomes her confidant and a method of comfort. Later on in the series, they date and are most likely the series endgame.

** In the first season, Leslie had a crush on Mark, which stemmed from a brief fling they had some years before the pilot. Mark however was [[TheCasanova the local Casanova]] and held no romantic feelings towards Leslie whatsoever. Eventually, Mark was PutOnABus and replaced by Ben Wyatt, [[spoiler:whom Leslie would go on to happily marry in Season 5]].
** Ann goes through several wrong guys before she found happiness. She began the show dating Andy, and then broke up with him to go out with Mark, who had become a LadykillerInLove with her. By the end of the second season, he was even set to propose to her before she dumped him, and Ann's reasoning for that was that while Mark was successful and mature, he [[TheGenericGuy just wasn't quite interesting enough]]. She later dates [[ThePollyanna Chris]], but when that fell through, she began [[ReallyGetsAround going out with a revolving door of paramours]], and even briefly went out with [[CasanovaWannabe Tom]] for a period of time. Eventually, [[RelationshipRevolvingDoor after several ups and downs]], Ann [[spoiler:gets back together with Chris]].

* Henry of ''Roleplay/NanQuest'', to the extreme. He's the first character Nan meets face-to-face, and it's a silly, romcom-like introduction at that. He's also an innocent PrettyBoy who entered the hotel at the same time as Nan, and protects her at numerous points. So obviously they're soulmates, right? Nope! [[spoiler:He's a serial killer who was trying to manipulate Nan into lowering her guard.]] In a subversion, there is no "right guy" -- Nan ends the story with no LoveInterest.

* Sam in ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' already harbored a crush on Danny throughout the entire series, but the first boy she dated and kissed ([[FakeOutMakeOut legitimately]]) was the {{Fauxreigner}} Gregor , an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian Goth like her. Naturally, it was love at first sight (although part of the reason is that at this point, Danny was unreachable romantically for her--his heart was still set on Valerie and/or Paulina). She finds out though that he's really just a con artist who wanted to get in her pants. She goes back to crushing on Danny and as bonus points, Danny starts realizing he likes her.
* Used in the plot of "The Way We Was" in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Marge goes with Artie Ziff to the prom, but after it he reveals himself as a total sleaze who initially attempts to force himself on her. After [[ArmorPiercingSlap slapping him]] in the face and eventually leaving him in disgust she realizes she cares for Homer instead.

* Sam in ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' already harbored a crush on Danny throughout the entire series, but the first boy she dated and kissed ([[FakeOutMakeOut legitimately]]) was the {{Fauxreigner}} Gregor , an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian Goth like her. Naturally, it was love at first sight (although part of the reason is that at this point, Danny was unreachable romantically for her--his heart was still set on Valerie). She finds out though that he's really just a con artist who wanted to get in her pants. She goes back to crushing on Danny and as bonus points, Danny starts realizing he likes her.

* In Disney's ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'', [[spoiler: this is the signature twist of the story. Upending ''years'' of Franchise/DisneyPrincess stories that stick close to LoveAtFirstSight, this film reveals that Prince Hans is ''anything'' but good for Anna, and only in it for himself. Indeed, the very concept of LoveAtFirstSight is attacked by pointing out that it is foolish to give your heart to someone you've ''only just met''. How it all plays out must be seen to be appreciated.]]

** Elsa actually lampshades this: "You can't marry a man you've just met."

* Double subverted in an episode of ''Series/TheTwilightZone''. A young woman has two suitors, a rich one she doesn't care for and a poor one she does. The poor one asks her to run off with him. Her future self later chases her younger self on horseback, begging her not to marry the wrong man... the poor one, who turned out to be a money-hungry bastard and ruined her life.

* ''[[Bollywood/KoiMilGaya Koi... Mil Gaya]]''.

* Noni is as happy as she can be with Kid Culprit in Film/BeyondTheLights before Kaz comes along, which, as she's suffering from severe depression, isn't saying much. Her relationship with Kaz overlaps with Kid Culprit and it becomes pretty clear to her that Kaz is the better guy.