The Orange County "Living Classics" pageant depicted in this episode parodies the real-life annual living masterpiece show, Pageant of the Masters, where local volunteers reproduce several dozen famous artworks in an evening (with the help of elaborate costumes and makeup). The Pageant (actually located in Laguna Beach, California) is the only show of its type and scale in western North America, and attracts tourists from around the world.
This was the first episode not to use the "On the next Arrested Development...." gag.
The Creation of Adam is a painting by Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo, and part of his series of paintings depicting Biblical stories from the Book of Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In it, a bearded and robed God reaches out to a fully nude Adam, symbolizing God's creation of the first man in his own image. Near the end of the episode when George Michael (Michael Cera) says he took off the muscle suit, Tobias (David Cross) mirrors the painting by reaching his arm out to George Michael and pointing to him in the same way God points to Adam.
Patricia Velasquez appears for the first time as Spanish-language soap opera star Marta Estrella. Taking the role over from Leonor Varela, many fans refer to her portrayal of the character as "Marta 2.0". In interviews, some cast members have indicated that she was the favourite of the two actresses.
After Gob (Will Arnett) says, "If I have to smell another meal of fish, rice and mango, I'm going to kill somebody," Lupe (B.W. Gonzalez), who is eating a meal in the background, stops and replaces the cover on her Tupperware container.