Hurley's mom complains that he's gaining weight. In reality Jorge Garcia had lost nearly 30 pounds due to the rigor of filming in Hawaii. The producers asked him to stop losing weight so that the flashback scenes would show him at a consistent size.
Hurley is the last of the 14 main characters to have an episode of flashbacks devoted to him.
Hurley was arrested by the LAPD when he was mistaken for a drug dealer. His accountant comments "I still can't imagine how the police mistook you for a drug dealer." It was Jorge Garcia's role as a Los Angeles drug dealer in Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) that landed him the role as Hugo Reyes.
Hurley's cursed numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) are all retired Yankee baseball players, with the exception of 42, which was worn by Jackie Robinson and later retired throughout Major League Baseball. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are big baseball fans, and have made references to baseball numerous times in the show.
Brittany Perrineau (lotto girl) is married to Harold Perrineau (Michael). She also played the woman Sawyer brings to his hotel in the flashback two episodes before this.