Some of the celebrities seen in Hell during the hukilau include Adolf Hitler, John F. Kennedy, John Kennedy Jr., Princess Diana, Zedong Mao, Gene Siskel, Jerry Garcia, Tiny Tim, Walter Matthau, George Burns, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. And Michael Landon in his brown little house on the prairie outfit.
Hukilau is netcasting, which is a community event in Hawaii. Fisherman cast huge nets into the sea and reel them in full of fish.
Cartman quotes Mark 9:43 in his street corner speech.
There's a running joke throughout the episode where when both Saddam and Chris return after being seemingly killed off, they come back and say "Where was I gonna go, Detroit?". Back in 1979, the real Saddam Hussein was given the key to Detroit after he donated $250,000 to Sacred Heart Chaldean Church, a church located in Chaldean Town, a neighborhood in Detroit, MI. The church closed in 2015.
This episode focuses on the boys obsession and fear of Hell. However, Kenny has died numerous times in the past and even shown going Hell in Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999), plus Satan and Saddam Hussein invaded South Park in Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999), so Kenny would know what Hell is like already and the boys would know how laid back and merciful Satan is.