The awards are named after the following:
- 1. Griff Hawkins totally cool award: Griffin "Griff" Hawkins, who was played by Adam Scott in Boy Meets World (1993).
- 2. Joseph T.R. Epstein confidence award: Joseph "Joey the Rat" Epstein, who was played by Blake Sennett in Boy Meets World (1993).
During the week that the episode originally aired, Malala Yousafzai, who was discussed in the episode, became the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
August Maturo (Auggie Matthews) does not appear in this episode.