History Main / MachoDisasterExpedition

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]
* Subverted ''hilariously'' in ''Manga/SchoolRumble''. The four main girls agree to have a swimming race with a group of boys they met at the local pool, the cost of their losing being having to go out on a date with them, and if the girls win, the boys have to buy them an extremely expensive meal. Tenma can't swim, but figures among her three friends (one of whom is extremely athletic), one of the girls is surely fast enough to beat the boys. [[spoiler: When they jump into the water, all four girls sink straight to the bottom. Turns out none of them could swim and were all thinking the same thing Tenma was.]]
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* A non-gender-based variant occurs in ''Literature/TheRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse''. When the Golgafrinchans' B-Ark crash-land on another planet, their attempts at survival tend to fail hilariously. Meanwhile, Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, who were stowaways stuck on the ship, quickly become exasperated, wander off on their own, and fare much better.

* Done in ''Series/ILoveLucy'' as well. Ricky wants to go camping by himeslf, but Lucy demands to come with, so he figures he'll go on a really hellish, miserable experience to make her sorry she came. Lucy overhears this and, with help from Ethel, decides to cheat and beat him at every camping activity. Like when they arrive, they decide to race to the campsite, each taking different paths. While Ricky runs and rushes to beat her, Lucy waits 'til he's out of sight and just has Ethel drive her. Naturally, Lucy being Lucy, she gets caught in the end.

A group of male characters set to go on some stereotypically male-oriented activity like hiking in the wilderness. A group of females ask to join them and [[StayInTheKitchen are rebuffed with sexist arrogance on how they would be helpless in the manly activity]]. Insulted, the female characters go on their own.

As it turns out, the male characters turn out to be completely incompetent in taking care of themselves in the activity while the female characters, who have taken the time to learn how to do the same activity properly, operate as if they had done it all their lives - or, at least, are able to pitch a tent and catch a fish without maiming themselves or [[EpicFail setting their station wagon on fire]].

In the end, the male characters learn their lesson and both parties finish the activity together with relative harmony.

A subtrope of DontGoInTheWoods. HorribleCampingTrip is this trope without the {{Anvilicious}} rebuff of male chauvinism. This trope is a classic example of PositiveDiscrimination in action.

* Played straight, and then subverted in the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents Fairly OddParents]]'' episode "Squirrely Puffs" where Timmy's dad leads a camping trip for the Boy Scouts expy The Squirrel Puffs, while Timmy's Mom leads the Girl Scout {{expy}} the Cream Puffs. The trip goes about how you'd expect, with the boys having a miserable time, and the girls easily thriving in the woods, to the point where they are joined by singing woodland creatures. It is then subverted when the Puffs end up being trapped by a storm, and [[HellIsThatNoise the animals refuse to stop singing]], not to mention weaving poisonous berries into their hair, while the boys' trip starts going smoother.

* One of the very first episodes of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' sent the family camping. Lisa and Marge successfully build their own campfire, while Homer ends up cold, naked and ultimately mistaken for Bigfoot.

* A non-gender-based variant occurs in ''Literature/TheRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse''. When the Golgafrinchans' B-Ark crash-land on another planet, their attempts at survival result in this trope. Meanwhile, Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, who were stowaways stuck on the ship, quickly become exasperated, wander off on their own, and fare much better.

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* Played straight, and then subverted in the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents Fairly OddParents]]'' episode "Squirrely Puffs" where Timmy's dad leads a camping trip for the Boy Scouts expy The Squirrel Puffs, while Timmy's Mom leads the Girl Scout expy the Cream Puffs. The trip goes about how you'd expect, with the boys having a miserable time, and the girls easily thriving in the woods, to the point where they are joined by singing woodland creatures. It is then subverted when the Puffs end up being trapped by a storm, and [[HellIsThatNoise the animals refuse to stop singing]], not to mention weaving poisonous berries into their hair, while the boys' trip starts going smoother.

* ''TheGetAlongGang'': The boys went camping and wouldn't bring the girls with them. It ended as suggested at the top page.

* Matt and Mr. McGuire had this in one episode of ''Series/LizzieMcGuire''.

* Subverted ''hilariously'' in ''SchoolRumble''. The four main girls agree to have a swimming race with a group of boys they met at the local pool, the cost of their losing being having to go out on a date with them, and if the girls win, the boys have to buy them an extremely expensive meal. Tenma can't swim, but figures among her three friends (one of whom is extremely athletic), one of the girls is surely fast enough to beat the boys. [[spoiler: When they jump into the water, all four girls sink straight to the bottom. Turns out none of them could swim and were all thinking the same thing Tenma was.]]

* Subverted on an episode of ''{{Friends}}''. The guys play poker. The girls want in. The guys imply they wouldn't be any good at it, and the girls call them sexist and challenge them to a serious poker game. Of course, never having played before tends to be a disadvantage no matter what gender you are, so the guys easily beat them and take all their money.

* Matt and Mr. McGuire had this in one episode of ''LizzieMcGuire''.

* [[http://comic.nodwick.com/?p=136 Once]] in ''{{Nodwick}}'', Artax suggested to Yeagar and Nodwick that they go camping "suicidally rugged" style. It turned out he had inhaled some Storm Giant testosterone while mixing potions, but by then they were hopelessly lost. Fortunately Piffany enlisted the forest critters to help find them.

* Female-less version: ''HeyArnold'', "Fishing Trip".
* ''TheProudFamily'' did this with a camping trip in the surprisingly named episode "Camping Trip". Not only do the ladies one-up the guys, but the kids do too.
* Inverted in ''[[{{Peanuts}} It's a Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown!]]''. The girls have a terrible time of it because of Pepperment Patty's [[HanlonsRazor less-than-brilliant leadership skills]] and because they insist on voting for '''everything'''. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown ([[ThrowTheDogABone for once]]) gets to be the "winner" by demonstrating good leadership and planning skills. In one scene, Chuck breaks out the canned rations and Patty grumbles about the quality of the food and how she wants pancakes for breakfast, causing Charlie to chew her out for how unrealistic that is.

* An episode of ''TheFlintstones'' that also featured a ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' CrossOver. The men go camping and the women tag along with their new neighbour (who happens to be a witch). Fred and Barney constantly mock Wilma and Betty for coming, but the witch Samantha makes sure that they survive out there with her magic, all the while punishing the guys for their misogyny. This becomes less "don't mess with women, guys" and more "[[SpaceWhaleAesop don't mess with MAGICAL women, guys!]]" Samantha's attempts to make sure the women stay ahead and punishing the boys for attempting to cheat their way in front elevate from "PoeticJustice" to "[[{{Jerkass}} being a bitch for being a bitch's sake]]".

* Another female-less version in ''KickButtowski'' between the titular character and his older brother, Brad. Tagging along with Kick to "protect him" in the wilderness, Brad falls victim to a number of poor choices (such as sleeping with a blanket made of poison ivy) since he believes himself to be better than Kick... Kick of course manages to conquer the wilderness the moment he enters it.

* A variation on ''ParksAndRecreation'', where the boys' misery was due not to incompetence, but instead to Ron Swanson's [[TheSpartanWay "misery builds character"]] attitude. The resolution sees not one, but two co-ed groups; the have-fun one Leslie Knope started, and a more rough-and-hearty one she founds in Ron's name after his kids all jump ship.
* A variation on ''TheBradyBunch''. The family goes camping. The girls are well-prepared with store-bought food, which comes in handy when the boys fail to catch any fish. However, it's partially the girls' fault that the boys couldn't catch any fish.

** [[spoiler: Further subverted later in the episode after the girls get advice from an experienced female poker player. After their one lesson, the girls are still not as good as the more experienced guys.]]

* In an episode of ''Series/HomeImprovement'', a team of guys (a bunch of football players and Tim) think that they can construct a house better and faster than a team of women (plus Wilson and Al). Naturally, they've learned their lesson by the end of the episode.
** Though it should be noted that Al specifically hired women who were professional construction workers.

[[DiscreditedTrope A largely outdated plot]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has "The Calling" where Meelo tries to make his and his sister's search for Korra more badass and turns it into this. First he tries to turn down bringing food at all, and later throws the food away stating that they can hunt. [[WhatAnIdiot Jinora then reminds him that they are vegetarians.]] He then goes foraging and only finds some bad berries that make him and his lemur ill.

* Happened in one episode of ''{{Dinosaurs}}'': the guys go on a hunting trip and end up hopelessly lost. They are rescued by the females, who had spent the day doing typical male activities (watching sports, drinking beer, etc.), resulting in something of a gender reversal.
* The girls of ''ThePartridgeFamily'' went out camping and the guys followed them. The girls handled themselves pretty well and the guys ended up starving.
* Toyed with in "Alpha Male" of ''GeneSimmonsFamilyJewels''. Sophie got her family to go camping. Gene was convinced that as the alpha male, he can provide the food but he got squeamish when baiting a fishing hook. On the other hand, Shannon could clean fish and had actually explained to a stunned Nick how to decapitate a chicken by swinging it around by the head and then how to get the feathers off.
* Done in ''ILoveLucy'' as well. Ricky wants to go camping by himeslf, but Lucy demands to come with, so he figures he'll go on a really hellish, miserable experience to make her sorry she came. Lucy overhears this and, with help from Ethel, decides to cheat and beat him at every camping activity. Like when they arrive, they decide to race to the campsite, each taking different paths. While Ricky runs and rushes to beat her, Lucy waits 'til he's out of sight and just has Ethel drive her. Naturally, Lucy being Lucy, she gets caught in the end.

*** Well, Tim did prove that tanks can destroy golf carts without any problems.

* In an episode of ''[[MaxisWorld Maxi's World]]'', it's played just about to the t besides that the girls use such things as cosmetics or small electric appliances to help. Then, at the end where an attempt to scare the girls with a fake bear is spoiled when a real bear appears and the boys and girls fend it off and both admit their mistakes.

* The girls of ThePartridgeFamily went out camping and the guys followed them. The girls handled themselves pretty well and the guys ended up starving.
* Toyed with in 'Alpha Male' of GeneSimmonsFamilyJewels. Sophie got her family to go camping. Gene was convinced that as the alpha male, he can provide the food but he got squeamish when baiting a fishing hook. On the other hand, Shannon could clean fish and had actually explained to a stunned Nick how to decapitate a chicken by swinging it around by the head and then how to get the feathers off.
* Done in ILoveLucy as well. Ricky wants to go camping by himeslf, but Lucy demands to come with, so he figures he'll go on a really hellish, miserable experience to make her sorry she came. Lucy overhears this and, with help from Ethel, decides to cheat and beat him at every camping activity. Like when they arrive, they decide to race to the campsite, each taking different paths. While Ricky runs and rushes to beat her, Lucy waits 'til he's out of sight and just has Ethel drive her. Naturally, Lucy being Lucy, she gets caught in the end.

* Subverted in the third season of the Dutch/Belgian version of Series/{{Survivor}}. The tribes were divided by gender, the male tribe divided the workload equally and worked together in building shelter as well as finding and preparing food. The female tribe completely fell apart due to lack of leadership, even losing their rice rations when they forgot to properly store them during a rainstorm. The male tribe won the first two challenges by a country mile before the producers reassigned the contestants.

* [[http://comic.nodwick.com/?p=136 Once]] in {{Nodwick}}, Artax suggested to Yeagar and Nodwick that they go camping "suicidally rugged" style. It turned out he had inhaled some Storm Giant testosterone while mixing potions, but by then they were hopelessly lost. Fortunately Piffany enlisted the forest critters to help find them.

* One of the very first episodes of ''TheSimpsons'' sent the family camping. Lisa and Marge successfully build their own campfire, while Homer ends up cold, naked and ultimately mistaken for Bigfoot.

* In an episode of ''Maxi's World'', it's played just about to the t besides that the girls use such things as cosmetics or small electric appliances to help. Then, at the end where an attempt to scare the girls with a fake bear is spoiled when a real bear appears and the boys and girls fend it off and both admit their mistakes.

* Non-comedy, but parodic, example in ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves'': a TestosteronePoisoning very macho expedition sets off to explore the depths of the House, and comes to grief, including one of its members shooting at the others.

* In an episode of ''HomeImprovement'', a team of guys (a bunch of football players and Tim) think that they can construct a house better and faster than a team of women (plus Wilson and Al). Naturally, they've learned their lesson by the end of the episode.

* Played straight, and then subverted in the FairlyOddparents episode "Squirrely Puffs" where Timmys dad leads a camping trip for the Boy Scouts expy The Squirrel Puffs, while Timmys Mom leads the Girl Scout expy the Cream Puffs. The trip goes about how you'd expect, with the boys having a miserable time, and the girls easily thriving in the woods, to the point where they are joined by singing woodland creatures. It is then subverted when the Puffs end up being trapped by a storm, and [[HellIsThatNoise the animals refuse to stop singing]], not to mention weaving posionous berries into their hair, while the boys trip starts going smoother.
* In the episode "Lewis and Clark and Larry" from ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'', this trope comes into play when the famed explorer team split up, [[HoYay in a way that is deliberatly played like a relationship split]]. Larry ends up going with Lewis, and their exploration trip is a breeze, while Tudrussel and Otto, who go with Clark, goes through a nightmarish death march of a trip, including getting lost because none of them know how to read a map, almost starving to death and being chased by a bear.

* Non-comedy example in ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves'': a very macho expedition sets off to explore the depths of the House, and comes to grief, including one of its members shooting at the others.