Cheaters Never Prosper: Difference between revisions
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* ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'': The fifth-season episode "Quarterback Sneak" deals with the ethics of cheating and thwarting cheaters. Here, Greg, quarterback of the Westdale High football team, suspects that Marcia's new boyfriend, Jerry Rogers (the quarterback from rival Fairview High), is out to steal his team's playbook as his team is struggling to find a way to beat Westdale at the latter's homecoming. After a failed attempt to swipe the playbook during his first visit to the Bradys, Jerry invites himself over again and succeeds in the theft. Greg—instead of reporting to his coach the first theft attempt (especially since Bobby had seen Jerry try to steal the playbook, and thus would have been a reliable witness) -- had prepared by creating a phony playbook. The boys laugh about how they've "put one over Jerry," but Mike overhears the boys' revelry and brings them down to earth by saying what he's done was just as dishonest and was unfair to the Fairview players and coaches who were playing by the rules. Eventually, the Fairview High coach finds out about Jerry's theft and kicks him off the team; it is not known what, if anything, happens to Greg ... although he is able to lead Westdale to a 20-7 victory.
* Game shows have had more than their share, but one lesser known example comes from the 1980-1981 NBC game show ''Las Vegas Gambit'', a Q&A-type game married to blackjack hosted by Wink Martindale. In an episode that pitted male-female teams of people previously strangers to each other, Martindale asks the question, "From what direction does the east wind blow -- east to west or west to east?" The team answers, "West to east," which Martindale momentarily doesn't hear, and asks the team to repeat their answer. Perhaps realizing they gave a wrong answer, they try to change it to "east to west," but the off-stage judge—having heard the original response—signals to Martindale, who immediately snaps at them to repeat their first answer ... which they sheepishly do. To date, it is one of the only times Martindale has been upset (albeit briefly), and even that incident was quickly forgotten. The episode in question, by the way, originally aired in the summer of 1981, and was rerun on November 27 of that year ... the show's last broadcast day. (Incidentally, that airing is far better known for Martindale appearing—during the show's final act—in a box, announcing that the show had been canceled and that ''The Regis Philbin Show'' would take over the following Monday.)
* In an episode of ''[[Growing Pains]]'', this philosophy is seriously subverted. Ben has the opportunity to cheat on a test, but does not; he ends up getting a bad grade and is scolded by his parents. His friends do cheat, get excellent grades, and are rewarded by their parents. Ben's father is forced to concede that, in reality, cheaters actually prosper and win rather often (saying that "in some cases, they even win the White House", an obvious reference to Watergate), although he does say that being honest can be far more rewarding in the long run.
* Zigzagged in ''[[Cheers]]''. When a crook tries to cheat Sam and his customers in rigged poker games, the [[Con Artist]] Harry the Hat agrees to help them because, in his own words, [[Hypocritical Heartwarming| "I don't like the idea of someone else plucking my pigeons."]] While the crook cheats, Harry manages to win because, well Harry is a better cheater. {{spoiler| And it helped that [[Obfuscating Stupidity| Coach was helping him cheat]].}}
== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
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