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1[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RWJ_1814.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:233:You be trollin'!]]
3
4->You know what time it is, [[FanCommunityNickname forum]]. It's time for the Comment Question of the Day, and it comes from a user named "[=ThisTroper=]". And he says, "Could you [[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere describe]] ''[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere Equals Three]]'' [[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere here]]?" Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comments section ''below''.
5
6''[[https://www.youtube.com/user/RayWilliamJohnson Equals Three]]'' (''=3'') was a Platform/YouTube series formerly hosted by Ray William Johnson in which he reviewed viral videos found by or sent to him. Three videos were shown in each episode, and a question submitted via video was posed for the commenters to respond to in the comments section (which was discontinued in 2013), with a schedule of new videos being posted every Tuesday and Friday.
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8On [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQFCT8YaYcE March 12, 2014]], Ray retired from the show but promised to find a new host within two months who'd then reboot the series. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze43h65VHwk On July 16, 2014]], the show was finally rebooted with Robby Motz, who hosted for a year [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8szCkSTdlg until he announced his departure on July 24th, 2015]] after 102 episodes.
9
10Robby was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNppYM2rqeQ subsequently replaced]] by Kaja Martin four days after he left, who only had a 30-episode run before she [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpvKEt8BNns left on November 24, 2015]]. She was then replaced by Carlos Santos [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76jfak44Jxc on December 4, 2015]], who served as the final host.
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12The series also had a Spanish-language SpinOff, [[https://www.youtube.com/user/IgualATres Igual a tres]] (hosted by Pedro Flores), as well as a French equivalent in ''WebVideo/WhatTheCut'', whose host and founder, Antoine Daniel, admitted that ''=3'' was a direct inspiration for his series.
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14Ray has also been associated with several music projects. He used to be in a group called Music/FattySpins, active from 2009 to 2010 and most [[MemeticMutation (in)famous]] online for their song "Doin' Your Mom". He also created the virtual band WebAnimation/YourFavoriteMartian, which was active from 2010 to 2012 before being revived in 2022. In 2020, he came up with another virtual band called The Upside Downs, the content of which he primary uploads on [=TikTok=]. He also released several comedic rap songs in 2018 under the name "[[PunnyName Fat]] [[Creator/MattDamon Damon]]".
15----
16!!'''This series provided examples of:'''
17* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: Other guys show up doing the show sometimes, with little actual introduction. So far we've seen [=meekakitty=], [=KassemG=], Music/GarfunkelAndOates, [[JapaneseRanguage Bobby Lee]], [[WesternAnimation/YogiBear TJ Miller]], and friggin' ''Creator/GabrielIglesias''.
18** In fall 2012, he took a break from the show to record a Your Favorite Martian album, and many different guests hosts appeared. One of them was freakin' ''Creator/KevinSmith''. Another was [[Music/WuTangClan the RZA]].
19* AutoTune: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBB7sYeCPoE This]] episode.
20* ButtMonkey: In later episodes, the Google+ logo.
21* TheCameo: None other than [[spoiler:Creator/RobinWilliams]] in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj9nrYVqmPg this video]].
22* CatchPhrase: ''I'm just sayin'.''
23** "What's happenin', forum/guys?"
24** "Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comments section *deep bass* below."
25** "Gee! Zus!"
26*** This becomes a SubvertedCatchPhrase when he says, "'''GEE'''.... ''(gasps)''.....[-That's a lot of views."-]
27** "I'm Ray William Johnson, and I approve this message!"
28** "Fake and gay!"
29*** "Falso y maricon!"
30*** "Staged and bi-curious!"
31** "So tell me, forum..."
32** In some episodes, he maims the Google+ logo.
33** "Here's the dildo."[[note]]Misheard by some fans even though it's truly "Here's the deal though." Ray eventually went with it.[[/note]]
34** "But don't take my word for it. Go watch the original video, link is in the description."
35* CerebusRetcon: After releasing a vlog and explained his relationship to his father. His self deprecation jokes are now seen as more serious than comedic.
36* ContinuityNod: Ray sometimes references videos that he reviewed in past episodes. A few examples include:
37** In the episode "YOUTUBE FAMOUS!", he reviews a video called "Michel & Sven - Der Trampolintrick - Teil 5 / The trick with a trampoline". He points out that the kids in the video are the same kids that were in the video called "Michel & Sven - Der Tischdeckentrick - Teil 4 / The Table Cloth Magic Trick (Original)" that he reviewed in the episode "THUG GUMBY".
38** In the episode "REDNECK DAD", he reviews a video of Corgi puppies running. He says that he reviewed a video exactly like it a couple of years ago. He reviewed said very similar video in the episode "Epic Boyfriend FAIL".
39** In the episode "METEORITE CRASH IN RUSSIA", he reviews a news clip that has an anchor named Lisa Dutton in it. He says that you may remember her from the "pick a dick" video. The "pick a dick" video was reviewed in the episode "RHINO SAUSAGE - Ray William Johnson Video".
40* CuteKitten: Cat videos show up on the series [[strike: every so often]] on a regular basis. Ray [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the Internet's apparent obsession with cat videos.
41* DontTryThisAtHome
42--> Ray: Now, I know every time I say DontTryThisAtHome you guys are like "Sweet, something I'm gonna try at home! Honey, get me my beer, the [[SelfDeprecation midget on the internet]] is tellin' me not to do somethin' so I gotta do it!"
43* {{Emoticon}}: =3
44* HilariousOuttakes: Some of the videos after the show proper have a minute or so of Ray messing up lines, with a whole bunch of {{Cluster F Bomb}}s.
45* HypocriticalHumor: In ''The =3 Musical'', Ray asks "What kind of lame-ass person uses Autotune" while singing in Autotune himself.
46%%* IncrediblyLamePun: So, so many. Enough to be a RunningGag.
47%%* {{Jerkass}}: Ray is this in some videos.
48* KnifeThrowingAct: One of Ray William Johnson's viral videos was a series of videos by a couple named Dakoda and Adam involving various knife-throwing (including a on-fire hatchet throwing act) acts done on each other. Warning: Watching video may bring risk of anxiety and heart attack.
49%%* RefugeInAudacity: Lampshaded heavily.
50* RunningGag: Several: YourMom, Ray's non-existent social/sexual life or lame jokes, [=PedoBear=], the Troll or any number of viral video-derived audacities, including something about 2 angry camels in a tiny car.
51** Russian virals seem to be the most fun and unsafe-looking of late.
52*** Gabriel Iglesias himself admitted he can't host an episode without a Russian video.
53** Epic face, epic face, epic face, epic face, [[Music/TheLonelyIsland JIZZ IN MY PANTS]]!
54** He's also taken to assaulting Google+ when he says where you can leave your comments.
55* SelfDeprecation: A part of his style which comes into play quite a lot.
56* SoundEffectBleep: He tends not to curse in the videos, but does so in his personal vlog ([=BreakingNYC=]). He justified it in a vlog by saying he wants to keep the series kid-friendly.
57** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL56NP5d96Q This]] video, "Indian Action" has an uncensored f-bomb, perhaps a first for Ray?
58** He leaves uncensored [[IncrediblyLamePun Fluorine bombs]] in "Thug Gumby" and "Broken Goat", as well as the word itself appearing on screen in "Jesus Dance".
59* StayInTheKitchen: Some of the jokes he makes are blatantly sexist. He always apologizes though.
60* ThisLoserIsYou: A character labelled "You" occasionally appears. "You" say a lot of very stupid things.
61* UnexplainedRecovery: The Troll.
62* WhamLine: "Hi. I don't believe I've been formally introduced. My name's Ray Johnson, and I'm an actor. And this is ''Equals Three''. It's a show I started five years ago from my college dorm room. [[spoiler:And this is my last episode.]]" Averted if you followed Ray on social media before this.
63* YourMom: An old RunningGag of the series. Reportedly, having sex with someone's mother is the only cure for squirrel AIDS.
64----
65--> ''"I'm Ray William Johnson, and I approve this trope!"''
66--> ''"So tell me, forum...what's Victoria's Secret?"''

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