Friends Without Benefits
This submission is currently being researched & evaluated!
You can help confirm this entry by contributing facts, media, and other evidence of notability and mutation.
About
Friends Without Benefits, also know as FWOB, is a YouTube collaborative Let's Play channel created by YouTuber Alpharad and Dad as heck. For their channel, they play video games while providing commentaries and conversations with each other. Since the launch in May 2016, the channel is still relatively small but has quickly developed a huge following online.
Online History
The channel officially started on June 24th, 2016, with an announcement video in Alpharad's channel,[12] in which he explained how he just created a Let's Play channel with his friend, Dad as Heck (shown below).[1][4]
The first three series they uploaded were Super Mario 3D World, Ducktales Remastered, and Kirby Planet Robobot; they've branched out to many other games ever since (shown below, left to right).[13][14][15]
Content for this channel would be upload daily until the channel took a considerably long hiatus starting on September 21st, 2016, without concluding their series on Mario Golf (GBA) (shown below, right).[16] The channel didn't upload until January of 2017, with a playthrough of Super Mario 64, in which they explained why the channel stopped uploading and what were their plans for the future (shown below, left).[17]
On March 14th, 2017, the channel officially came back, with plans to reboot itself by creating a new series that involved them playing Jackbox Games (shown below).[18] Alpharad and Dad also introduce three new members to the show: Major Duncan, Weegee the God, and Deezus.[5][6][7]
Travis
Later that year, a new member called Travis joined the show, he officially debuted in episode 17 of their Mario Party 4 series. However, around three weeks later, they made an announcement where they said that, unfortunately, he had to leave the show; Travis later made his own video explaining why he made that decision.
Alpharad's Departure
On August 21st, 2018, Alpharad made a Twitlonger where he explained his feelings about the state of the channel and why he ultimately decided to move on from it.[19]
Fandom
Over time, FWOB has developed a fairly large community of people who enjoy their content, garnering over 170 thousand subscribers as of January 2019th, as well as their official subreddit having over four thousand subscribers.
Many inside jokes in the show have spawned plenty of memes and fanart over their run time. (Examples shown below)
Related Memes
Bedroom? If You Insist.
During episode 5 of their Jacbox Games series, while the group was playing the mode Word Spud, they created what became known as the "Bedroom copypasta". Near the end of the video, Alpha mentioned he wanted this story to be copypasted in every FWOB video and in any streams of the FWOB members.
Following this, the Bedroom copypasta has become an inside joke among FWOB fans and the subreddit, with many memes being created in the likeness of it.
Boat
In episode 6 of their Mario Party 4 series, Deezus referenced an episode of Family Guy to prompt Dad into buying the Magic Bag item by saying the phrase "it could even be a boat".
Ever since that moment, the word "Boat" has become a recurring joke among the FWOB fanbase, so much that the team even decided to reference it in their intro and outro, among many other series.
Donkey Kong Surge
On episode 2 of the Mario Party 4 series, Weegee said the phrase "Donkey Kong Surge" after successfully coming back around and winning a minigame.
Since that episode, the phrase has become an in-joke among the FWOB community, being mentioned multiple times after, especially in reference to Weegee's usage of DK in their following Mario Party series; while also having variations such as "Koopa Kid Surge", "Dry Bones Surge" or "Birdo Surge", alluding to Weegee's other commonly used Mario Party characters.
I'm Groceries
During episode 2 of their Mario Party 9 series, while Major was on a conveyor belt, he uttered the phrase "I'm groceries".
In the following years, the phrase has become a meme among FWOB fans, becoming Major's catchphrase and even being referenced in their current outro.
Weegee vs. Giraffe
On episode 4 of their Mario Party 4 series, after being asked by Dad "what's the biggest animal you think you could take in a fight?", Weegee responded with various unrealistic answers, such as a bear, kangaroo, and a giraffe.
Ever since them, many FWOB fans have mocked and joked about the idea of Weegee fighting a giraffe, with many memes alluding to it.
Search Interest
External References
[1] YouTube – Friends Without Benefits
[2] Twitter – Friends Without Benefits
[3] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – Alpharad
[4] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – Dad as heck
[5] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – Major Duncan
[6] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – WEEGEE THE GOD
[7] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – Deezus
[8] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – Turvis
[9] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – MVD
[10] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – ESAM
[11] Friends Without Benefits Wiki – Fio
[13] YouTube – Super Mario 3D World: Welcome! – EPISODE 1 – Friends Without Benefits
[14] YouTube – DuckTales Remastered: Editing Error – EPISODE 1 – Friends Without Benefits
[15] YouTube – Planet Robobot: Kirby X – EPISODE 1 – Friends Without Benefits
[16] YouTube – Mario Golf (GBA): Eagle Boys – EPISODE 3 – Friends Without Benefits
[17] YouTube – Super Mario 64 – Friends Without Benefits
[18] YouTube – Jackbox Games: The Only Show On The Internet – EPISODE 1 – Friends Without Benefits
[19] Twitlonger – When you talk too much for Twitter