History Main / AllOrNothing

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' two-parter "Bad Wolf"/"The Parting of the Ways" featured the logical extreme of this trope: the losers of the contest didn't just go away with nothing, their [[spoiler:genetic material was filleted and pulped to make them into Daleks]]. In the same episode, the Doctor could have, with the [[spoiler:delta wave, either killed all of the creatures nearby, Daleks and humans, on the Game Station and on Earth, or he could have let them all live.]]
* In the ''Series/SesameStreet'' game show sketch "The Crying Game Show" with Sonny Friendly, the grand prize was Sonny Friendly's owned teddy bear. But host Sonny Friendly decides to cry the hardest and thus, he wins the game. And leaves all three contestants sobbing after the announcer blurted that there are no consolation prizes.
[[/folder]]

** In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', this is the name of a Badge. Get a +1 to Attack (which is high for the games, making a normal +3 attack turn into a +4) when an Action Command is performed perfectly, or do no damage at all.

* In ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader'', unless and until a contestant reaches the $25,000 mark, a loss (without being Saved, of course) will send them home with nothing. They changed it in the syndicated version. Now, if you get one wrong, you lose what you've won so far, but you're not out of the game. Additionally to the syndicated version, you do get a ConsolationPrize of a prepaid card if you miss the bonus question: $2,500 if you had at least that much at the bonus question, or $250 otherwise. And no matter what happens, of course, if you win any less than the grand prize, whether through getting a question wrong or taking the consolation prize, you have to look at the camera and say, "I am ''not'' smarter than a fifth grader."

* This is the case in ''Series/{{The Chase|GameShow}}''. Get caught in the final chase, go home with nothing. Unless it's the celebrity edition, in which case they get a very small consolation prize. No idea what happens if you win with a negative amount of money, hasn't happened yet. In one GSN episode, all three contestants were wiped out in the "cash builder" round that precedes the final chase. The Beast offered the three $15,000 to split in the Final Chase, but only one could participate. They chose one player and still lost it all.[[note]]In many versions, if all contestants are caught in their head-to-head chases and the one they nominate wins the Final Chase, each contestant wins the value of one Cash Builder question. In the ABC American version from Season 2, it's two question values per person.In the Australian and ABC (Season 1) versions, the chaser names the prize to be split among the contestants.[[/note]]

* This is the case in ''Series/{{The Chase|GameShow}}''. Get caught in the final chase, go home with nothing. Unless it's the celebrity edition, in which case they get a very small consolation prize. No idea what happens if you win with a negative amount of money, hasn't happened yet. In one GSN episode, all three contestants were wiped out in the "cash builder" round that precedes the final chase. The Beast offered the three $15,000 to split in the Final Chase, but only one could participate. They chose one player and still lost it all.[[note]]In many versions, if all contestants are caught in their head-to-head chases and the one they nominate wins the Final Chase, each contestant wins the value of one Cash Builder question. In the Australian and ABC American versions, the chaser names the prize to be split among the contestants.[[/note]]

* The end of the ''Wheel of Fish'' scene from: ''Film/{{UHF}}'' has the prize box which reveals to be so empty. And Kuni and the audience told the female contestant that she is stupid.

* The ''Series/PawnStars'' spin-off game show ''Pawnography'' operates on this principle. In the final round, the leading contestant and the team of Rick, Corey, and Chumlee are asked the same ten questions within a sixty second time limit. Before host Christopher Titus reveals the final scores, Rick gives the contestant the opportunity to negotiate an offer to walk away from the game. If the contestant refuses Rick's final offer and at least ties with the Pawn Stars, the contestant wins everything he/she has accumulated; however, if the Pawn Stars win, then the contestant loses everything.
* ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' plays with the trope.
** The show itself averts the trope, with each contestant guaranteed at least $1,000[[note]]$2,000 for two-person teams[[/note]] by the end of the game; however, two specialty wedges, the Mystery Wedges in Round 2 and the Express Wedge in Round 3, play the trope straight during their respective rounds.

** For the Express Round, if the contestant(s) choose to play the Express, their turn effectively becomes a solo "Risk vs. Reward" Speed Round with consonants earning $1,000 per occurrence and vowels still deducting $250 as normal. Express play continues until the contestant(s) either successfully solves the puzzle or makes a mistake of any type (calling a letter not in the puzzle, calling a used letter, taking too long to call a letter, or solving the puzzle incorrectly), with the latter acting like a Bankrupt.

* The British gameshow ''Series/{{Pointless}}'' is like a reverse version of ''Family Fortunes''/''Feud'': pairs of contestants are asked a question with multiple correct answers (like "name a Madonna movie"), and have to find the answers given by the least number out of a hundred people polled before the show. If nobody said an answer, it is [[TitleDrop Pointless]]. Each of the first three rounds ends with one of the pairs being eliminated. To win the jackpot, the team that gets through to the final has three chances to find a Pointless answer to the last question. If they can't, the jackpot rolls over to the next show. [[ConsolationPrize However, they do get]] [[TitleDrop the Pointless trophy]].

* The British quiz show ''Bridge of Lies'' requires contestants to cross a diamond-shaped floor (the titular Bridge) by stepping on correct answers (Truths) while avoiding incorrect answers (Lies). Anyone who steps on three Lies is eliminated, though they can be saved if their team-mates press the Panic Button before that contestant steps on a third Lie, or bought back for the final round; both options are only available once per game. [[note]]There's also the option to sell a player, though this isn't used as often.[[/note]] Those who've made it to the final round must try to cross the Bridge one last time in an attempt to win whatever prize money the team have accumulated, but this time anyone who steps on a Lie is instantly eliminated, and if no-one makes it across the Bridge, the team go home with nothing.

* This is the case in ''Series/{{The Chase|GameShow}}''. Get caught in the final chase, go home with nothing. Unless it's the celebrity edition, in which case they get a very small consolation prize. No idea what happens if you win with a negative amount of money, hasn't happened yet. In one GSN episode, all three contestants were wiped out in the "cash builder" round that precedes the final chase. The Beast offered the three $15,000 to split in the Final Chase, but only one could participate. They chose one player and still lost it all. [[note]]In many versions, if all contestants are caught in their head-to-head chases and the one they nominate wins the Final Chase, each contestant wins the value of one Cash Builder question. In the Australian and ABC American versions, the chaser names the prize to be split among the contestants.[[/note]]

** The same system is used in ''Series/{{Shafted}}'', as well as the U.S. shows ''Series/FriendOrFoe?'' and ''Series/TakeItAll''. It's basically the PrisonersDilemma, which is the Game Theory game non-economists know about.

** Some versions are even worse (e.g. the SAT). In those, getting a question right gets you 1 right answer. Leaving it blank gets you 0 right answers. Getting it ''wrong'' gives you -0.25 right answers, the point being to nullify random guessing, since on average you'll get 1 of 5 of those correct, leaving you with 1 - 4 × 0.25 = 0, or the same thing you'd have gotten if you just left them blank. The guessing penalty is often inversely proportional to how many choices there are; for example, getting a question with two answer choices (usually true/false questions) wrong will take away half a point.

** Some versions are even worse (e.g. the SAT). In those, getting a question right gets you 1 right answer. Leaving it blank gets you 0 right answers. Getting it ''wrong'' gives you -0.25 right answers, the point being to nullify random guessing, since on average you'll get 1 of 5 of those correct, leaving you with +1-4*0.25 = 0, or the same thing you'd have gotten if you just left them blank. The guessing penalty is often inversely proportional to how many choices there are; for example, getting a question with two answer choices (usually true/false questions) wrong will take away half a point.

A comedic take on the idea might result in a contestant actually ''owing'' money to the packager, network or syndicator, but there are actual examples of shows where contestants gamble their possessions and/or money...