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Total Drama
- To no surprise, the show mostly references Total Drama. Aside from sometimes mentioning Chris (mostly due to him being Kristal's father), several challenges are clear homages to classic challenges mostly from the first season, such as the challenge to stay awake the longest, a challenge involving dares, a challenge involving having to go back to camp from the forest, and a horror-themed challenge heavily based on the slasher genre.
Adventure Camp
- In her audition tape, although the circumstances are different, a tree branch rips off Ashley's shirt, leaving her topless, just like Heather in "X-Treme Torture."
- Jared being fired by Chris McLean over the host not liking his coffee is the same reason as why Chris fired Noah as his assistant in "Celebrity Manhunt's Total Drama Action Reunion Show."
Season 1
- Opening sequence includes a "walking to elimination" montage inspired by 2023 reboot of the show.
- Episode 3 is a "What Do They Fear?" Episode, similarly to "Phobia Factor."
- Episode 11 features a challenge involving entering a mine to find an exit while wearing backpacks and having only flashlights to navigate in the dark, just like in A Mine Is a Terrible Thing to Waste.
- Fiore's confessional where she's happy that there's tension around that's finally not aimed at her basically mirrors Heather's confessional from the start of "The EX-Files."
- Episode 12:
- The way Miriam throws Fiore off the cliff in Episode 11 is exactly the same as how Leshawna threw off Heather in "Not So Happy Campers - Part 2."
- The challenge to get a flag from a pole covered in grease is a nod to the first challenge from "The Very Last Episode, Really!."
- The montage of the hosts and the final four walking to the last challenge is similar to "walking to elimination" segments from the 2023 reboot.
- Much like in "The Very Last Episode, Really!", the finale starts with the finalists' confessionals about their time on the show. Even the questions they answer are the same.
Season 2
- The team name Radioactive Sharks was meant to reference Fang.
- Kai telling Lake she reminds him of his friend may be an allusion to Dawn.
- Episode 2's challenge is borrowed from "The Big Sleep", with Aiden even remarking It's Been Done.
- Kai's verbal outburst at Yul was intended as a clear homage to Lindsay cursing at Heather in "That's Off The Chain!".
- Quite predictably, the Queen challenge was meant to pay homage to "I Triple Dog Dare You!".
- While several episodes of Total Drama had the premise of having to go back to camp from the forest, Episode 6 meant to pay homage specifically to "Are We There Yeti?", which can be seen by merged contestants being grouped in pairs for the challenge.
- The scene where Lake's father called Kristal was an homage to when Dakota's dad called Chris in "Ice Ice Baby", although with polar opposite intentions and with different results.
- Lake's new wig was based on Heather's prehistoric wig which she obtained in "One Million Bucks B.C.".
- The winter-themed episode was based on several locations from World Tour whereas the jackets were based on the ones contestants wore in such locations in The Ridonculous Race.
- The final challenge of Episode 9 was a clear reference to the final one from "Who Can You Trust?". Karol also loses the challenge for herself due to her concern for a tarantula, which is similar to DJ losing because of his bunny. Her accidentally killing a tarantula is a reference to Harold accidentally killing one in "2008: A Space Owen".
- A skeleton of an animatronic bear from Pahkitew Island is present in a pile.
- Contestants having to build their own sleds is a reference to "That's Off The Chain!" where contestants had to assemble their own bikes.
- Riya's situation in the finale where she's trapped inside the underwater cave with little oxygen is a reference to Josee's identical situation in "Bahamarama".
- Two eliminated contestants being given a chance to hinder the finalists' chance to win in the final part of the final challenge was meant to reference "Lies, Cries, And One Big Prize".
All-Stars
- Once again, the opening sequence includes a "walking to elimination" montage inspired by 2023 reboot of the show.
- The third season features 3 smaller teams, the same as Total Drama World Tour.
- Team selection has something to do with parachutes, just like in Total Drama: Pahkitew Island. However, instead of teams being decided based on who had a parachute and who didn't, they're decided based on the color of their parachute here.
- The way Ashley purposefully lands on Fiore at the start of Episode 2 mirrors how Amy landed on Sammy in the premiere episode of Pahkitew Island.
- Both the title of the second episode ("Gone Buck Wild!") and the challenge of having to bring an animal to a secluded area is a reference to "Wawanakwa Gone Wild!".
- Episode 3's challenge is the second time the show makes an homage to "Bahamarama".
- Episode 8's challenge taking place in what seems to be a replica of a spaceship is similar to the first challenge from "2008: A Space Owen".
Reality Shows
General
- The show may reference Survivor even more so than its inspiration cartoon did at times. For example, the immunity idol requires to be used before the votes are even revealed. Season 1 features an even heavier emphasis on Survivor elements with the characters living in the wilderness with little supplies, rewards that make camp life better, voting confessionals at elimination ceremonies, etc. All-Stars captures that even more, with there being no cabins at all.
- Lill is based off of Lillian "Lil" Morris of Survivor: Pearl Islands. Not only looking similarly to her, but also being a scout leader and the Team Mom of her tribe.
- Episode 7 of the remaster features a challenge where blindfolded team members are guided by one person on their team to collect puzzle pieces in the form of blocks. This exact challenge was featured in Survivor Cambodia.
- Episode 8 of the remastered version features a challenge of answering a survey about the contestants, trying to predict the most common answer for each question, and taking the "lives" of other players after correct predictions; which comes from Survivor.
- Grett voting confessional in Episode 8 where she says her vote is not strategic but strictly personal is a reference to Survivor: Gabon.
- Episode 12 features a few challenges that are common on Survivor, such as the "Get a Grip" endurance challenge where competitors hang onto a pole, as well as a fire making challenge.
- During the finale, Miriam has a confessional that references Cirie Field's confessional in Survivor Micronesia after Erik Reichenbach gave up his immunity.
- Riya getting hit in the face with a watermelon while trying to slingshot it in Episode 11 is a reference to The Amazing Race 17
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- During pre-merge, contestants compete in swimsuits and other outfits color-coded for their respective teams. This is a nod to contestants in Survivor getting clothes or at least bandanas in their respective teams' colors during the team phase of the show.
- In Episode 2, Ashley has a confessional about wanting to get revenge on Fiore for Will, Lill, and Nick, where she says she doesn't really care about Nick but she might as well throw him in there as well. This is a reference to a confessional from Sandra Diaz-Twine on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.
- A sign saying "Tipiskaw got talent" used to introduce the performances in Episode 6 is a reference to America's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, as well as any other Transatlantic Equivalent of the show.
Literature
Season 1
- In Episode 11, Alec outright compares swinging across on a rope to Robinson Crusoe, a reference which Ellie doesn't get.
All-Stars
- In Episode 6, Alec compares voting out Connor to reading Old Yeller, a book about putting down a beloved dog, to his son.
Movies
Season 1
- Tom answers to an agent called Agent Smith.
- Episode 6:
- Not only is the title a reference to Brokeback Mountain, but so is the fact that several duos get closer or even intimate together while in an isolated area. Interestingly, Total Drama originally intended to reference this movie in "Sky Fall".
- The scene where Ally, Hunter, and Tess nonchalantly wake up in Hunter's bed was meant to reference a similar scene from Scott Pilgrim.
- Ally's grandfather dying of specifically lung disease was inspired by Walter White from Breaking Bad suffering from the same disease. His (currently unused in canon) character design also resembles him.
- Episode 8 has several Slasher Movie references:
- The title of the episode, "Nightmare in Tipiskaw", is a reference to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
- Nina hosting the challenge, being a puppet giving instructions through a monitor screen, was meant to be a reference to Saw.
- The Butcher calling and taunting the first two "victims" before attacking them is a reference to Scream.
- The Butcher coming for Ally when she's taking a shower is a reference to a famous scene from Psycho.
- The way Nina takes down Hunter is meant to be a reference to Child's Play 2.
- In the same episode, Butcher cutting through a door with an axe references a famous scene from The Shining.
- Lake and Rosa Maria trying to start a car to escape and run over the Butcher is a reference to Jeepers Creepers.
- The Butcher catching Lake after she seemingly emerged victorious from their encounter on a motorboat is a reference to Jason suddenly emerging from the water to catch the protagonist in Friday the 13th (1980) .
All-Stars
- While announcing the challenge in Episode 6, Kristal references Singin' in the Rain as well as La La Land.
Video Games
Season 2
- Ally's shirt has a design of Pac-Man on it.
All-Stars
- Ally's new shirt has a design of Space Invaders.
- In Episode 2, Ally states her favorite game is "Forest Craft", a clear reference to Mine Craft.
Visual Novels
Season 2
- Ally's "corpse" reveal in Episode 8 is a reference to Body Discoveries from Danganronpa franchise.
Western Animation
Season 1
- In Episode 9 of Season 1, Fiore claims her mother called her a monster, and claims that she was right but it still hurt. This description was used by Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
All-Stars
- Marcus asking Fiore if she isn't too young to be on this show is a reference to a Running Gag question of similar being too young for various things in Phineas and Ferb.
Misc.
All-Stars
- Yul and Fiore's first interaction on the plane in the season premiere is a reference to this popular online clip.
- Episode 6:
- Yul calls Grett Winnie the Pooh.
- Yul's apology to Grett in Episode 6, quotes Logan Paul's infamous "So Sorry" apology video, specifically the "severe lapse in judgement" part.
- Fiore calls Marcus Gandalf.
