Beach Games - Cultural References

Cultural References

On the bus, the cast sing songs such as the Kenny Rogers song "The Gambler" and the Flintstones theme song. Ramis encouraged them to sing, as he had never ridden on a bus where people did not sing. Also in the episode, Michael wears Sandals gear and a beaded necklace, a reference to his Jamaican vacation in "Back from Vacation". According to Helms and the episode's writers, the plot references the reality television series Survivor and The Bachelor, and The Apprentice. Before their work on The Office, the camera men used in this episode shot Survivor for four years. Several media outlets noted similarities between Michael and Jeff Probst, the host of Survivor.