is there a reverse phrase for "big fish, small pond?"

Factual Questions
1

There needs to be. I always hear someone who’s only living large because of their limited environment - the business owner in the small town, the only average-looking girl in the drama club, the professor in the community college - as a “big fish in a small pond.” People use this phrase derisively, usually followed by, “He’d never last a day in a REAL town/city/university/team/so on.”

But isn’t it true that the guy is living comparatively well? I mean, the high school drama club nerd that’s just a little less geeky (or gay) than the rest of the guys in the club is probably DROWNING in poontang from the drama club chicks! He’s getting more action from the weird drama club chicks than the entire football team is getting from the cheerleaders. Why mock this guy? He’s living LARGE!

Is there a counter-phrase like, “A big fish in a small pond still eats the most” or something?

2

How about “Big fish, small pond”, but without the sarcasm. I’ve heard this phrase plenty of times without the derisiveness you cite. (You could also try as a putdown, “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” – that sounds classier.)

3

To paraphrase Mel Brooks “It’s good to be the big fish”

4

BMOC

Big Man On Campus

5

Nobody cares who’s a big fish in Lake Michigan.

6

I never associated ‘big fish in a small pond’ with negative lifestyle. Wouldn’t just as many people prefer to be in this envirnoment?

7

I don’t think there’s any implication that the big fish was not have a good time of things. If it’s desparaging it’s not about his lifestye, but about his skillls…

And, really, isn’t there a certain aknowlegement of that in the big fish small pond statement? That is, sure he’s getting all that drama school nookie, but he wound’t if he had any real competition?