History Main / FlushingToiletScreamingShower

[[folder:Comics -- Newspaper]]
* {{Garfield}} does it to Jon to show Odie how the pipes in the house are all connected.

* One FoxTrot has the Roger singing "Burning Love" in the shower at an obnoxious volume, prompting Andy to tell Jason, "There's a valve in the basement marked 'Cold Water Shutoff'..."

* It is revealed in one of the ''PennyArcade'' podcasts that for the entire time they lived together (a period of "at least a year"), Jerry (Tycho) would wake up early and turn on the taps to allow all the hot water in the apartment to run down the drain. The moment where Mike (Gabe) learns why he didn't have a hot shower during the whole time is priceless.

* Done on ''TheSimpsons'' twice:

* Grandpa's hated, visiting sister does this to him in ''HeyArnold''
* In ''PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Backyard Aquarium", this was done with a hose in place of the toilet.

* It happens. With old water heaters, ill timed laundry, or what have you.

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* A Dutch commercial for the Army (Fit/Unfit) had two ten-year-old girls giggling as they turn on the faucet, one commenting after a bit "I don't hear anything". Cue a guy manfully enduring the cold as he soaps up and scoring a "Fit" in a multiple choice box. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxVxZ5zPlh4
Watch here.]]

* Neal Stephenson's early work ''The Big U'' has one student getting revenge on his former roommate by getting a small army of friends and other acquaintances, synchronized by a TV news broadcast, to do a big flush that actually destroys the plumbing system in an entire wing of the arcology-university. Was also coupled with supergluing shut the door to the shower stall, and then setting a "poorly insulated" electrical appliance in front of the expanding pool of water.

* Played with in the sketch Anthropomorphic Shower from ThatMitchellAndWebbSound.

* Done in ''Channel Chasers'', with Cosmo being on shower and Wanda Flushing the toilet. FridgeLogic hits when you remember that they are a magic shower and magic toilet, so, not interconnected.

* A Dutch commercial for the Army (Fit/Unfit) had two ten year old girls giggling as they turn on the faucet, one commenting after a bit "I don't hear anything". Cue a guy manfully enduring the cold as he soaps up and scoring a "fit" in a multiple choice box. Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxVxZ5zPlh4

* Grandpa's hated, visiting sister does this to him in ''HeyArnold''.

* Shown as one of the many pranks Huey, Dewey, and Louie pulled on Donald that got them on Santa's naughty list in Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas.

Bob flushes the toilet while Alice is in the shower. Alice screams and curses, unprepared for the sudden increase in water temperature. Or perhaps Alice turns on the washing machine while Bob is in the shower, causing Bob to experience a precipitous ''drop'' in water temperature. Can be done deliberately or by accident, but the result is still funny--provided it's not happening to ''you''. Can also be done by turning on a faucet elsewhere in the house, which has the advantage of not prematurely giving away the game if you are deliberately pranking someone. Usually deployed as a comedy trope, often accompanied by a quick shot of the OhCrap expression on Alice's face when she hears the unmistakable sound of a toilet flushing.

[[folder:Real Life]

->-- Vladimir Nabokov, ''{{Lolita}}''

!Examples:

[[AC:{{Advertising}}]]

* A ZooTycoon [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIaZPTcRjmQ commercial]] shows this happening to a woman. Thing is, though, the one flushing the toilet is an elephant.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

--->'''Howard:''' Why do you always find that so funny?
--->'''George:''' It's very hard to say.

* Gina Davis' HotScoop character in ''TheFly''. Her JerkAss publisher/ex-boyfriend breaks into her house and takes a shower while waiting for her.
* Neal Stephenson's early work ''The Big U'' has one student getting revenge on his former roommate by getting a small army of friends and other acquaintances, synchronized by a TV news broadcast, to do a big flush that actually destroys the plumbing system in an entire wing of the arcology-university. Was also coupled with supergluing shut the door to the shower stall, and then setting a 'poorly insulated' electrical appliance in front of the expanding pool of water.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

--->'''Lois:''' You flush the toilet, I open the curtain!

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]
* {{Garfield}} does it to Jon to show Odie how the pipes in the house are all connected.
--->'''Garfield''': Isn't science fun?

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* A [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrqSCn0sBPw recent video game commercial]] shows [[AlienVsPredator Predator doing this to the Alien]], complete with the latter's trademark hiss.

[[AC:WebComics]]

** The episode is for the strip "Doctor Feelgood." [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/4/12/ Strip.]] [[http://feeds.penny-arcade.com/~r/padlc/~5/COBxp5O0c40/Doctor%20Feelgood.mp3 Podcast.]] Story starts at about 17:10, but they whole thing is really funny.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* Done in one ''RobotChicken'' sketch - a girl flushes the toilet, and her father is scalded.
* Done in Channel Chasers, with Cosmo being on shower and Wanda Flushing the toilet. FridgeLogic hits when you remember that they are a magic shower and magic toilet, so, not interconnected.

[[AC:RealLife]]

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* George does it to his brother, Howard, in ''TwoWeeksNotice''.

TruthInTelevision as most shower valves mix hot and cold water to achieve the desired temperature so anything that diverts either hot or cold water will result in a sharp temperature shift in the opposite direction. Note that this was always a regional trope as it depends upon the central water heater practice common in Western plumbing design but not always found in other cultures. Rapidly becoming a bit of a DiscreditedTrope in RealLife since the introduction of pressure-balanced shower valves specifically designed to prevent this from happening. Such "anti-scald" shower valves are even required by law in some places, especially in commercial buildings like apartments, hotels, and dormitories.

-->''... a propensity, while in use, to turn instantly beastly hot or blindingly cold upon you, depending on whether your neighbor turned on his cold or his hot to deprive you of a necessary complement in the shower you had so carefully blended.''
-->-- Vladimir Nabokov, ''{{Lolita}}''

* It is revealed in one of the PennyArcade podcasts that for the entire time they lived together (a period of "at least a year"), Jerry (Tycho) would wake up early and turn on the taps to allow all the hot water in the apartment to run down the drain. The moment where Mike (Gabe) learns why he didn't have a hot shower during the whole time is priceless.

[[quoteright:259:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/showercat_9916.jpg]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

Bob flushes the toilet while Alice is in the shower. Alice screams and curses, unprepared for the sudden increase in water temperature. Or perhaps Alice turns on the washing machine while Bob is in the shower, causing Bob to experience a precipitous ''drop'' in water temperature. Can also be done by turning on a faucet elsewhere in the house which has the advantage of not prematurely giving away the game if you are deliberately pranking someone. Usually deployed as a comedy trope, often accompanied by a quick shot of the OhCrap expression on Alice's face when she hears the unmistakable sound of a toilet flushing.

Bob flushes the toilet while Alice is in the shower. Alice screams and curses, unprepared for the sudden increase in water temperature. Or perhaps Alice turns on the washing machine While Bob is in the shower, so Bob has to deal with a precipitous ''drop'' in water temperature. Can also be done by turning on a faucet elsewhere in the house, assuming the water pressure is low enough, which has the advantage of not giving the game prematurely if you are deliberately pranking someone. Usually deployed as a comedy trope, often with an accompanying OhCrap moment on Bob's part when he hears the unmistakable sound of a toilet flushing.

TruthInTelevision as most shower valves mix hot and cold water to achieve the desired temperature so anything that diverts either hot or cold water will result in a sharp temperature shift in the opposite direction. Note that this was always a regional trope as it depends upon the central water heater common in Western plumbing design but not always found in other cultures. This is rapidly becoming a bit of a DiscreditedTrope in RealLife since the introduction of pressure-balanced shower valves specifically designed to prevent this from happening. Such "anti-scald" shower valves are required by law in some places, especially in commercial buildings like hospitals, apartments, hotels, and dormitories.

* A dutch commercial for the Army (Fit/Unfit) had two ten year old girls giggling as they turn on the faucet, one commenting after a bit "I don't hear anything". Cue a guy, obviously feeling the cold, still getting his soap bottle and soaping up. This results in the multiple choice box for "fit" being filled out. Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxVxZ5zPlh4

Bob flushes the toilet while Alice is in the shower. Alice screams and curses, unprepared for the sudden change in water temperature. Sometimes done as the laundry taking all the hot water away, a bitter housewife's perfect revenge. Also done with turning on the faucet in the sink. This way, you don't even have to turn off the water to get back at someone in the shower or play a prank on them.

TruthInTelevision; as flushing the toilet, turning on the cold water faucet, or the "cold shower" variant manage to take all the cold water to refill the toilet/divert cold water to the faucet/use all the hot water in the laundry. (After all, this trope had to have ''somebody'' find this out the hard way before it became used as a prank!) However; a lot of newer buildings tend to make this a bit of a DiscreditedTrope. Especially larger buildings such as dormitories or apartments.

* A recent video game commercial shows [[AlienVsPredator Predator doing this to the Alien]], complete with the latter's trademark hiss.

Bob flushes the toilet while Alice is in the shower. Alice screams and curses, unprepared for the sudden change in water temperature. Sometimes done as the laundry taking all the hot water away, a bitter housewife's perfect revenge. Also done with turning on the faucet in the sink.

* George does it to his brother, Howard, in the movie ''TwoWeeksNotice''.

[[AC:Advertising]]

[[AC:Comics]]
* {{Garfield}} does it to Jon to show Odie how the pipes in the house are all conected.
--->'''Garfield''': Isn't science fun?
* It is revealed in one of the PennyArcade podcasts that for the entire time they lived together (a period of "at least a year"), Jerry (Tycho) would wake up early and turn on the taps to allow all the hot water in the apartment to run down the drain. The moment where Mike (Gabe) learns why he didn't have a hot shower during the whole time is priceless.
-->'''Mike:''' What the fuck is wrong with you!?!
** The episode is for the strip "Doctor Feelgood." [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/4/12/ Strip.]] [[http://feeds.penny-arcade.com/~r/padlc/~5/COBxp5O0c40/Doctor%20Feelgood.mp3 Podcast.]] Story starts at about 17:10, but they whole thing is really funny.

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Live Action TV]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]