When Jake is in line for the puzzle club, he is asked to solve an anagram of a movie title for the phrase "Sad anus loser. I go in". The solution to this anagram is "Dangerous Liaisons (1988)".
In the season 3 episode The Mattress (2015), Amy tells Holt that she and Jake have never had a fight, and "our only close call was when Jake didn't know who Will Shortz was." Holt responds incredulously, "Really? You've never heard of the Puzzle Master?" Will Shortz guest-stars as Sam Jepson in this episode, which is titled "The Puzzle Master."
Will Shortz (Sam Jepson) is arguably the most famous living puzzle creator in America. After graduating from Indiana University with a self-designed degree in Enigmatology (the study of puzzles), he worked at Games Magazine. In 1993, he became the New York Times crossword puzzle editor; he has also had a puzzle segment on the National Public Radio program Weekend Edition Sunday since 1987. Shortz has appeared as himself on other TV shows (including The Simpsons (1989) and How I Met Your Mother (2005)), but this was his first time acting as another character on a sitcom.
This is the second episode of the series to be directed by Akiva Schaffer (along with Season 1's Charges and Specs (2014)). Schaffer and Andy Samberg are both members of the comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island.