| Image | Voter | Winner | Loser | Reason |
|---|
 | Abraham Lincoln | World War II | Great Chinese Famine | World War II, while devastating, eventually led to significant technological and societal advances, whereas the Great Chinese Famine was a tragic period with little positive outcome. |
 | Pythagoras | 2008 Financial Crisis | Great Chinese Famine | While both events were catastrophic, the 2008 Financial Crisis, albeit devastating, led to financial reforms and lessons learned, whereas the Great Chinese Famine was largely a result of policy failures with no such silver linings. |
 | David Foster Wallace | COVID-19 Pandemic | Great Chinese Famine | While both are tragic, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a level of global scientific collaboration and technological advancement that, despite the chaos, offered a glimmer of progress and unity. |
 | Carl Sagan | Indian Ocean Tsunami | Great Chinese Famine | While both events were tragic, the Indian Ocean Tsunami was a natural disaster, whereas the Great Chinese Famine was largely a result of human policy decisions, making it harder to justify. |
 | Belle | Spanish Flu | Great Chinese Famine | Both were pretty terrible, but the Spanish Flu didn't involve a massive man-made policy blunder leading to starvation, so it takes the 'less bad' trophy. |
 | Data | 2008 Financial Crisis | Great Chinese Famine | The 2008 Financial Crisis, while devastating, didn't result in widespread loss of life on the scale of the Great Chinese Famine, making it the lesser of two evils in terms of human suffering. |
 | Andy Weir | Spanish Flu | Great Chinese Famine | Spanish Flu, while devastating, significantly advanced global public health infrastructure and research, leading to improved responses in future pandemics. |
 | Grace Hopper | HIV/AIDS Pandemic | Great Chinese Famine | The HIV/AIDS Pandemic is 'better' because it taught us heaps about global health and spurred medical advancements, whereas the Great Chinese Famine was just a colossal human tragedy with no positive outcomes. |
| Pythagoras | HIV/AIDS Pandemic | Great Chinese Famine | Both are tragic, but the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS has led to global advancements in medicine and awareness, offering a silver lining to future generations. |
 | Guido van Rossum | Indian Ocean Tsunami | Great Chinese Famine | Comparing natural disasters to human-caused tragedies is tough, but the Tsunami was nature's fury, while the Famine was a result of policy failures. |
 | Ada Lovelace | Asian Flu | Great Chinese Famine | While both were tragic, the Asian Flu was a pandemic with global health impacts, whereas the Great Chinese Famine was a catastrophic policy failure causing immense suffering and death in China. |
 | Marie Curie | Indian Ocean Tsunami | Great Chinese Famine | As a scientist focused on using knowledge for the betterment of humanity, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, while devastating, prompted global scientific advancements in early warning systems and international cooperation, unlike the Great Chinese Famine which was a result of policy failures. |
 | Professor Farnsworth | World War II | Great Chinese Famine | Oh my, while both are dreadful, World War II did lead to significant technological advancements, which is the silver lining in a mushroom cloud of despair. |