Many of the contestants are based on/parodies of characters from high school movies and other movies about teenagers, which makes sense since the series parodies teenage stereotypes.
Hosts
- Chris McLean is a parody of Jeff Probst, the host of Survivor.
Killer Bass
- Bridgette's appearance and character are based on Frances Lawrence from Gidget, as both girls are blonde tomboys who enjoy surfing.
- Courtney is based on Tracy Flick, especially in her audition video where she is seen running for President of the Student Council. She also shows similarities to Eliza Orlins, both being students studying law with political ambitions who tend to not get along with fellow players.
- Ezekiel's feral form is an obvious one to Gollum.
- Harold is basically Napoleon Dynamite as a Canadian teen with both characters being geeks with hidden talents and similar Catch Phrases. Also, he hooks up with Leshawna, who is a Shout-Out to Lafawnduh Lucas (from the same film). There was also a challenge that Harold came up with within the Action finale, involving drawing imaginary animals, a nod to Napoleon's liger drawings.
- Katie and Sadie share the same personality and character dynamics as Kristen and Kirsten from Fresh TV's previous cartoon. All of them are ditzy, cheerful, and fashion-obsessed girls who cannot socially function without the other's company. They even share the exact same catchphrase, a high-pitched "Eeeeeee!", which they let out whenever they feel enthusiastic. They even have the same voice actors.
Screaming Gophers
- Heather is likely a nod to the film Heathers, particularly Heather Chandler, as she's the Queen Bee and by far the cruelest. She could also be inspired by Regina George, another "Queen Bee" who serves as a manipulative Big Bad that ruins the lives of others.
- Leshawna contains inspiration from Lafawnduh Lucas. Lindsay even calls Leshawna by that name early on.
- Lindsay is based on Kristen from 6teen.
- Owen is based on Survivor contestant Richard Hatch, who, like Owen, had weight problems, displayed homosexual tendencies, often walked around naked, went through financial troubles, and won the very first season.
Mutant Maggots
- Jo is based on Sue Sylvester from Glee, with Jo also being a female Jerk Jock who is always seen wearing a tracksuit.
Toxic Rats
- B is based on Silent Bob, in both physical appearance and his speechless tendencies.
- Dawn is based on Luna Lovegood. Both are long-haired blonde girls with an affinity to nature (especially unusual animals) who are considered weird by the others. She also plays the role of some of Russell Hantz's victims.
- Scott is based on Russell Hantz from Survivor, due to his willingness to screw over his own team (especially those he feels have crossed him or he just plain dislikes), how he hunts for and easily finds the hidden immunity idol, and both were on the Villains Team in their second season. Like Russell, he is also beaten by his arrogance and denied the finale twice.
Pimapotew Kinosewak
- It has been confirmed by Fresh TV that Jasmine is based on MacGyver.
- Max is based on Dr. Evil. He has a near-identical outfit and the fact he's an incompetent villain who relies on a Hyper-Competent Sidekick.
Waneyihtam Maskwak
- Beardo's has been confirmed to be based on Reggie Watts due to his physical appearance and his beatboxing skills, while his sound effects gag is based on Michael Winslow "The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects".
- Fresh TV has confirmed Dave's based off Mitch Martin.
- Ella is part Snow White (with the design of her hair and bow), part Cinderella (with her name and the design of her dress), with the color scheme of Aurora.
- Shawn is based on Shaun of the Dead, both being zombie apocalypse survivor-themed characters with similar-sounding names. He is also based on Peeta Mellark, another guy who also camouflaged himself with natural materials and learned it from cake-decorating for a bakery.
- Sugar is practically Honey Boo Boo as a full grown teenager.
Frogs of Death
- Bowie is a possible one of Frankie Grande from Big Brother 16. Both are Camp Gay men who serve as the Closet Key for a very "manly" male contestant, and end up hooking up with said male contestant.
- Raj could also be one of Zach Rance from the same season, as both are supposedly hetereosexual men who realize that they aren't straight after falling for a Camp Gay.
- MK seems to be one to Constance from Ocean's 8, being a sneaky Asian pickpocket with a similar style of dress.
Ferocious Trout
- Scary Girl's clownish design and freaky demeanor appear heavily based off Harley Quinn.
Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race
This cartoon has continues the trend from its parent series.- Kelly and Taylor seem to be based on Regina George and her mother.
- Kitty's design is similar to Lizbeth from Captain Flamingo, albeit with hair ties, a bluish-black skirt, and white socks with brown boots.
- Dwayne is based on Clark Griswold.
- Sanders and MacArthur are based on Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock's characters from The Heat.
- Chet and Lorenzo are based on Brennan Huff and Dale Doback, albeit much younger.
- Rock and Spud based on Jay and Silent Bob, particularly early on in the season where Spud rarely talked.
