History Main / SecondPrize

* ''Series/MamasFamily'': In [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Mama on Jeopardy"]], Thelma scrapes by with a second-place finish. She's overjoyed when Johnny Gilbert announces that she [[HulaandLuaus had won a trip for four to Hawaii]]. The Harpers spend the next two episodes on Maui.

* ''Mama;sFamily'': In [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Mama on Jeopardy"]], Thelma scrapes by with a second-place finish. She's overjoyed when Johnny Gilbert announces that she [[HulaandLuaus had won a trip for four to Hawaii]]. The Harpers spend the next two episodes on Maui.

* ''MamasFamily'': In [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Mama on Jeopardy"]], Thelma scrapes by with a second-place finish. She's overjoyed when Johnny Gilbert announces that she [[HulaandLuauas had won a trip for four to Hawaii]]. The Harpers spend the next two episodes on Maui.

SuperTrope of SecondPlaceIsForLosers, when a character sees as meaningless anything other than placing first in a competition. Compare SecondPlaceIsForWinners, when not placing first in a competition ends up producing a better outcome.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': {{Subverted}} for [[PlayedForLaughs comic effect]]. Cordelia and Buffy compete for the title of Homecoming Queen. As expected, the two descend into vicious (albeit hilarious) rivalry, find themselves in danger, pull together, etc. The writers save the high school cliché through outright parody: CORDELIA: "You know, after everything we've been through, this whole question of who gets to be homecoming queen seems..." BUFFY: "Pretty damn important!" CORDELIA: "Right!" In the end, Sunnydale High awards the prize equally to two people in its first-ever tie. Luckily for us viewers, those two people aren't Buffy and Cordelia, but the two other girls who were competing against them. Buffy and Cordelia leave the auditorium in disgust.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': After reminiscing on a girl he used to crush on in high school, Peter refers to his wife Lois as his "silver medal." Ouch.

* ''Literature/HaveSpaceSuitWillTravel'', by Creator/RobertAHeinlein: Cliff Russell enters a contest where the first prize is a trip to the moon. He wins one of the consolation prizes: a used space suit.
* ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'': Encyclopedia Brown must prove that a contest participant deliberately lost on the last question to get the second place because they'd accidentally broken the grand prize.

* ''Manga/SgtFrog'': In the 18th episode, Keroro enters a Kansai-style [[BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine comedy contest]] in order to win a rare [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Gundam]]-knockoff model kit. He wins mainly through underhandedness and alien technology; he learns too late that the model is only the participation prize and first place gets a fridge, but he's too much of a show-off to throw the contest.

* ''Manga/SgtFrog'': In the 18th episode, Keroro enters a [[KansaiRegionalAccent Kansai-style]] [[BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine comedy contest]] in order to win a rare [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Gundam]]-knockoff model kit. He wins mainly through underhandedness and alien technology; he learns too late that the model is only the participation prize and first place gets a fridge, but he's too much of a show-off to throw the contest.

Of course, sometimes SecondPlaceIsForWinners. SuperTrope of SecondPlaceIsForLosers, when a character sees as meaningless anything other than placing first in a competition.

Of course, sometimes SecondPlaceIsForWinners.

* ''Theatre/GlengarryGlenRoss'':

* ''Film/ChildrenOfHeaven'': The main character wants to get another pair of shoes for his little sister, since they currently share a pair of shoes, by entering a track and field competition. He's actually going for third place, since the prize is a pair of shoes, [[spoiler: but ends up being the first, ruining his current shoes.]] Good thing [[spoiler: their dad was shown buying two new pairs of shoes for the kids.]]

* In ''Film/ChildrenOfHeaven'', an Iranian movie, the main character wants to get another pair of shoes for his little sister, since they currently share a pair of shoes, by entering a track and field competition. He's actually going for third place, since the prize is a pair of shoes, [[spoiler: but ends up being the first, ruining his current shoes.]] Good thing [[spoiler: their dad was shown buying two new pairs of shoes for the kids.]]