History Main / CondemnedContestant

* Sven Hassel's novels deal with a "Penal Battallion" of convicts and misfits forced to serve in the Wermacht during WWII.

* Pretty much the whole plot of ''Anime/DeadmanWonderland''. The tyrannical government forces the inmates to fight to the death in the brutal Carnival Corpse games, which is the backbone of their economy, both as entertainment for citizens (it's implied most of them believe the games are staged) and organ dealing, done to losers.

* In ''TehGladiators'', the eponymous heroes agree to fight in the [=WoW=] Arena as an alternative to imprisonment, execution, or [[FateWorseThanDeath worse]]. Of course, the game is rigged ([[spoiler:in their favor]]), but they don't know it.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has [[spoiler:[[BodyHorror horrific]] Gem Mutants whose gems were forcibly melded together.]] The subjects of these experiments were the shards of former Crystal Gems who turned against their Homeworld.
[[/folder]]

* In ''HunterXHunter'', as part of the Hunter Exam, a number of convicts are given instructions to waylay the examinees, with them getting a year off their sentence for each hour they take from the examinees' time. In addition, [[spoiler: many of the [=NPCs=] on Greed Island are actually convicts, including Razor, one of the Game Masters.]] Since the Hunters themselves are not prosecuted for crimes (up to a certain degree), it seems that they have a sort of free rein over what goes and what doesn't. Anyone not smart or competent enough to acquire their get-out-of-jail-free card prior to breaking the law is hereby given a second chance.

%%* ''DeadmanWonderland''.

* Rockstar's ''{{Manhunt}}'', though the protagonist didn't really choose that option. Rockstar makes an oblique reference to another, similar game called "Liberty City Survivor" on Radio/GTARadio.

* ''[[StarCraft Starcraft 2]]'' has Terran Marines and Reapers, who are convicts given pardons for their military service.

* The X-Box game ''ToxicGrind'' takes place in future where x-treme sports are outlawed and anyone caught is put on a game show where they must ride [=BMXs=] through deadly obstacles. If that wasn't bad enough, the "contestants" are pumped with a toxin that can only be counteracted through adrenaline. The hero of the story isn't even a criminal, it's an unlucky BMX rider who got plucked from the past just because the sadistic host of the show was running out of contestants.

The game is of course rigged to kill all the Condemned Contestants, which makes the protagonist's success a "threat" both because they might get out and expose the charade, and are getting so popular with the audience at home that ''they'd listen.'' (If the contestant is honestly given a ''chance'' to survive by whoever is in charge, then this Trope doesn't apply.)

* Rockstar's ''{{Manhunt}}'', though the protagonist didn't really choose that option. Rockstar makes an oblique reference to another, similar game called "Liberty City Survivor" on GTARadio.

* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the disgraced Covenant commander, is given the title of The Arbiter as punishment for [[YouHaveFailedMe allowing]] the Halo ring to be destroyed. The Arbiter, like his predecessors who held the dubious title, is sent to suicide missions, although, being a protagonist, he actually survives them.

Compare BoxedCrook, TradingBarsForStripes and WinYourFreedom.

* In the MatthewReilly novel ''Area 7'' the secret government base has a cell block containing prisoners used in secret medical experimentation. Naturally [[spoiler: they end up escaping to make things even harder for the protagonists.]]

* From the {{Gor}} series:

* In ''TehGladiators'', the eponymous heroes agree to fight in the WoW Arena as an alternative to imprisonment, execution, or [[FateWorseThanDeath worse]]. Of course, the game is rigged ([[spoiler:in their favor]]), but they don't know it.

[[folder:Comics]]

* The notorious British comic ''{{Action}}'' featured a game called ''Spinball'', rollerball meets ice hockey with giant pinball pins as targets. All teams were condemned men.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''LastRes0rt''. Just to give it a twist, there's volunteers -- i.e., people on the show WILLINGLY!

This story very likely takes the [[SympatheticPOV (sympathetic) POV]] of [[YouAllMeetInACell the cons]], because sympathizing with people conducting whatever horrific acts are about to be perpetrated on the cons is usually a bit too alienating for audiences. So aside from giving most of the cons a smidgen of sympathetic characterization, there will be one [[ClearMyName innocent man]] who was framed to get him specifically into the night's debauchery. (Alternatively, his crime may be justified -- stealing bread for the hungry -- or not appear serious to the audience -- failure to bow before the noble he ''didn't see''.) Usually this one innocent man and the [[AntiVillain most likable]], [[NobleDemon noble]] or [[EvenEvilHasStandards least]] [[TokenEvilTeammate evil]] con [[SortingAlgorithmOfMortality will survive to the end]]; sometimes this is justified by their character making it possible for them [[ThePowerOfTrust to trust each other]].

* In ''ImpureBlood'', some of the gladiators -- at least, an announcer warns that those who default on bets will be in next week's bout. (Not all. Roan was MadeASlave.)

* In ''{{Halo}}'', the disgraced Covenant commander, is given the title of The Arbiter as punishment for [[YouHaveFailedMe allowing]] the Halo ring to be destroyed. The Arbiter, like his predecessors who held the dubious title, is sent to suicide missions, although, being a protagonist, he actually survives them.

* ''TheOuterLimits'' episode "Judgment Day", where the criminals are hunted down by the families of those they murdered. [[spoiler: The protagonist manages to prove that the show's producer had framed him to get ratings. The episode ends with the producer sentenced to be hunted.]]
* In ''SpartacusBloodAndSand'':

[[folder:comics]]

* [[ManipulativeBastard Kabuto]] pulls this in one chapter of ''{{Naruto}}''. Basically tells a bunch of random ninja in his prison to kill each other and whoever's alive at the end goes free. He was lying though, as his plan was to quickly find who was strongest and [[GrandTheftMe Orochimaru steals the winner's body]].

* In the Dreamcast game ''Headhunter'' we learn that criminals imprisoned in the undersea-dome (so you could say it's sort of a [[MadMax waterdome]]) get to fight each other to the death which then gets broadcast live on TV, the winner gets a shorter sentence and the loser gets to generously donate their organs. Maybe they just didn't like Wade but some criminals got much better weapons than others.

* ''DeadmanWonderland'' is this trope personified.

* Not sure if this quite counts, but in ''HunterXHunter'', as part of the Hunter Exam, a number of convicts are given instructions to waylay the examinees, with them getting a year off their sentence for each hour they take from the examinees' time.
** In addition, [[spoiler: many of the [=NPCs=] on Greed Island are actually convicts, including Razor, one of the Game Masters.]]
** Since the Hunters themselves are not prosecuted for crimes (up to a certain degree), it seems that they have a sort of free rein over what goes and what doesn't. Anyone not smart or competent enough to acquire their get-out-of-jail-free card prior to breaking the law is hereby given a second chance.

* ''The Condemned'' is made of this trope.