How I Met Your Mother

Season 3

Wait for It

1. This episode marks the first appearance of the yellow umbrella. For a long time, it was the only thing we knew about The Mother.
2. Mandy Moore and Enrique Iglesias, who guest star, both have their songs featured in this episode. Iglesias sings "Alguien Soy Yo" (Spanish version of "Somebody's Me), and Moore's "Ladies' Choice" and "Nothing That You Are" can be heard in the background.
3. The patch on Gael's sweatshirt is a brand logo for the EVER clothing company; this logo appears several times through the series.
4. When Gael (Enrique Iglesias - Spaniard) is singing, he says the words "You are" in Spanish from Spain (Tu eres). Not in Argentinian (Vos sos). But it's a song, and songs are sung as they are, not translated.
5. The clock count down to slapsgiving is the count down to the airing of the slapsgiving episode.

We're Not from Here

1. In old Marshalls office in the end, there is a cutout from a newspaper where the headline is "N.Y.C lawyer captures 'Nesse'", a reference to how much Marshall adores the Loch Ness monster.
2. In Lily's death folder, she says her ATM code is 5459. This spells LILY. This could be a nod to Friends, where Joey's pin is 5639, spelling JOEY.

Third Wheel

1. The championship belt Barney holds up is a WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt Wrestlemania IV-Wrestlemania XIV
2. Busy Phillips, who plays Rachel in this episode, co-starred alongside Jason Segel (Marshall) in the short lived series Freaks & Geeks (1999-2000).
3. Lily says "I'll say it right now, all sorority girls are sluts" in reality, Alyson Hannigan was a member of Alpha Chi Omega.
4. An Extra Feature of this episode is a sequence, called "How it DIDN'T happen", that shows Barney, Lily and Marshall starting to engage in their own threesome after Ted leaves his room.
5. The title of the third episode from the third season of How I Met Your Mother: Third Wheel (2007) that refers to a threesome that Ted is about to have.

Little Boys

1. The son of the man Robin is dating is the same kid that taunted Marshall about the Superbowl score in How I Met Your Mother: Monday Night Football (2007)

How I Met Everyone Else

1. Barney's hot/crazy chart features the "Mendoza diagonal;" a girl below the diagonal is to be avoided. In baseball, the "Mendoza line" refers to a batting average of .200; a hitter below the line is having a terrible year.
2. Back in Season 1, in How I Met Your Mother: The Wedding (2006), when Ted says that Claudia is crazy, Barney replies that, to be fair, she is equally hot.
3. Neil Patrick Harris would later star in Gone Girl (2014), in which his character have sex with Amy Dunne, who murders him during the act, hence fulfilling the Hot-Crazy Scale.
4. Old Ted reveals in S9E21: "Gary Blauman", that "Blahblah"'s real name is Carol.

I'm Not That Guy

1. When Marshall is calling Jeff about his decision Royal Diner is in the background. This diner is in several episodes of the TV show Bones.
2. 50th episode of the series
3. Alyson Hannigan and John Cho also worked together in "American Pie".
4. John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris worked together in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.
5. Robin (Cobie Smulders) mentions Jude Law is in everything. Cobie Smulders went to act in the MCU in 2012 (Avengers) acting with Samuel L. Jackson. Jude Law went to act in the MCU in 2019 (Captain Marvel) also acting with Samuel L. Jackson.
6. The name of the episode could be used for both storylines, Ted isn't the porn star, and Marshall isn't the type of guy to work for the company he was being offered a job at

Dowisetrepla

1. Many comparisons have been made between How I Met Your Mother and Friends. The realtor in this episode played Janice in Friends, a reoccurring character known for her annoying voice. Phill Lewis who played the loan officer, played Chandler's advertising boss, Steve in 3 episodes of Friends.
2. Phill Lewis, who plays the Loan Officer, previously starred on the television series "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" (2005). His character was named Mr. Moseby.
3. Phill Lewis also guest starred on an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Alyson Hannigan.
4. In this episode Robin tells Lily to tell Marshall that the apartment is haunted and she saw a ghost to talk him out of wanting buy the apartment. In the episode "No Tomorrow" Marshall tells Lily that he and Robin saw a ghost in order for her to want to leave the apartment.

Spoiler Alert

1. At the time of filming Josh Radnor (Ted) and Lindsay Price (Cathy) were "literally" dating. This was the 4th time that the "significant other" of a regular cast member had a guest appearance on the show. The others were Alexis Denisof (Sandy Rivers), Taran Killam (Gary Blauman), and David Burtka (Scooter).
2. At the episode "Spoiler Alert" in which Ted is dating Kathy (the one who talks a lot), she mentions during dinner that she knows a place at the South Bronx which has the "best cannoli in town", which is the same place Ted took Robin on their first date.
3. Cathy's name and her flaw of excessive talking are references to the doll and phrase 'Chatty Cathy'.
4. The plot highlights Robin's (Cobie Smulders) habit of using the word "literally" instead of "figuratively". In the web-series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017), which also starred Smulders in the first season, Neil Patrick Harris's character Count Olaf always uses these words wrong.
5. Barney puts the CD in the computer upside down when he is showing Marshall the video of the dog pooping on a baby.

Slapsgiving

1. First time the apartment's piano is played.
2. This episode introduces the recurring gag of both Ted and Robin hearing a phrase or word that resembles a military rank, (eg. "I have this kernel stuck in my teeth"), then proceeding to salute and repeat what was said, as though addressing a military officer ("Colonel Stuckinmyteeth").
3. Jason Segel not only plays the piano and sings "You Just Got Slapped", but he also composed the song. He has performed in several of his projects including "The Muppets" (2011) and "I Love You, Man" (2009). Perhaps most famously, he wrote and performed the music for the Dracula musical in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008).
4. In this episode, Marshall uses his third out of free five slaps, which he won in How I Met Your Mother: Slap Bet (2006).

The Yips

1. During the interview about the episode, Jason Segel admit that he is very nervous being around the supermodels especially around Heidi Klum.
2. The scene that shows the outside of the gym is the same as the gym in "Friends" season 4 episode 4 "The One With The Ballroom Dancing"
3. This episode completes Barney's mysterious life incidents after Shannon left him to when he met Ted (1998 to 2001).
4. Catchphrase: Barney uses "So just. Okay?" for the first time.
5. The name of the gym is written as "Total RIP Fitness".
6. Second appearance of James Stinson.
7. The story of how Barney lost his virginity is finally revealed.

The Platinum Rule

1. In any scene where the gang is eating Chinese food, Barney Stinson is shown to be very bad at using the chopsticks. The only time he is ever shown able to use chopsticks is in Season 3 on the couch and in Season 7 at the Hibachi Grill Restaurant.
2. The Platinum Rule: 1. Attraction, 2. Bargaining, 3. Submission, 4. Perks, 5. The Tipping Point, 6. Purgatory, 7. Confrontation, 8. Fallout. Ted adds a ninth step: Coexistence.
3. Catchphrase: Barney uses "So just. Okay?" for the second time.
4. In the season 2 episode "Brunch" Ted's parents come to visit and Ted's dad hooks up with Wendy the Waitress and Barney is mad because he "cock blocks" him. But in this episode Barney hooks up with Wendy in 2005. Barney has stated multiple times he doesn't date a a girl again.
5. This episode has the maximum degree of 5 of nested storytelling in the entire show. A story (Barney's) within a story (Lily and Marshall's) within a story (Robin's) within a story (past Ted) within a story (Future Ted's).

No Tomorrow

1. Based on area codes, Barney says that Ashlee is from Nassau County on Long Island (area code 516), even if she might dress like she's from the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx or Staten Island (area code 718) and act like she's form the New York City borough of Manhattan (area code 212). Barney also says that the woman's husband, letting her out alone on St. Patrick's Day, has to be from Northern New Jersey (area code 973), or else he (Barney) is from Wyoming (area code 307).
2. When Ted is seen exiting the club after realizing how unhappy he is with his choices, the name of the club is displayed clearly for the first time: 'Low Point'.
3. When Marshall, Lily, and Robin first enter the new apartment, it is already visibly evident that the place is crooked: the bridge that can be seen out the window is not quite parallel to the floor.
4. When Marshall, Lily, and Robin go over to the new place, they say they are going to play board games but they didn't bring any games with them into the apartment. They didn't have the hungry hungry hippos game until they showed up and found it in the bedroom, not knowing it would be there ahead of time.
5. When Barney walks in wearing his green suit, Ted remarks that he is The Riddler, a villain from Batman comics who specializes in riddles and puzzles. Neil Patrick Harris would later dress up as The Riddler for Halloween with his husband David Burtka and their two children.
6. Marshall is wearing a Good Sam Club shirt. The logo can be seen on his L. shirt sleeve.
7. Throughout the episode they repeatedly use 'St Patty's' to refer to St Patrick's Day, when the correct abbreviation is 'St Paddy's' Day. (Hence why the Irish are often nicknamed Paddy's themselves.)
8. In the episode "How Your Mother Met Me", The Mother is seen going to the same nightclub on St. Paddy's Day and leaves her umbrella behind. She rushes back to retrieve it but can't find it, stating "some super inconsiderate person" had taken it. This is implied to be Ted. Ted does not take the yellow umbrella until he goes back the next morning to look for his phone.

Ten Sessions

1. The lab coat worn by 'Stella Zinman' is owned by actress Sarah Chalke and was worn by her in Scrubs (2001). She reveals in the commentary for this episode that the pocket protector she wears with her lab coat covers the patch that says "Dr. Elliot Reid", her character on Scrubs.
2. Early in the episode, Ted says "We're talking ten weeks from now. Who knows what she'll want then? I mean, do you know what you're going to want for lunch ten weeks from now?" to which Marshall responds, "Sloppy joe, shrimp cocktail, and a milkshake." Near the end of the episode, after the ten weeks have past, Marshall is seen having a sloppy joe, shrimp cocktail, and a milkshake for lunch.
3. Barney uses the statistic 8.3 seconds for how long it takes for a woman to decide if she is going to sleep with a man. This is similar to the 83% that he uses for, as Ted says earlier, all of Barney's fake statistics.
4. With 10 million viewers, this was the highest rated episode of the 3rd season mainly due to Britney Spears' guest-appearance.
5. If you start a timer when Ted says, "Go" and stop it when he says "And... date," Ted's 2 minute date lasts 2 minutes and 19 seconds. When he says, "Ooh, look at the time," it's right at the 2 minute mark.
6. Britney Spears is the most recognizable out of the other guest stars. She had received multiple standing ovations during taping, which can be briefly seen during the CBS promos.
7. After Ted's tenth session, Stella mentions that if he ever gets a tattoo of a dolphin on his ankle to contact her to get it removed. This is a reference to HIMYM Executive Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller's television show Clone High. Sarah Chalke, who plays Stella guest starred multiple times on the show.

The Bracket

1. If you go to tedmosbyisajerk.com there is a site designated to trashing Ted Mosby. It includes a song "Mosby is a Jerk [Ted]" that is over 20 minutes in length. It also has a letter written to "Dear Resident" with Resident hand-written into pre-typed letter from How I Met Your Mother: Ted Mosby, Architect (2006).
2. As the episode ends, Neil Patrick Harris starts typing at his computer, the theme song from Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989) starts playing.
3. The character of "Anna" and her thinking that Barney's name was Ted Mosby originated in the Season 2 episode, How I Met Your Mother: Ted Mosby, Architect (2006).
4. One of the restaurants shown in the background when Barney and Lily are on the street is Nolita, the setting for Kitchen Confidential (2005).
5. In the flashback section with mugshots of all Barney's possibilities of his stalker you see a picture of Madeleine Albright - which is a reference to How I Met Your Mother: The Yips (2007). He mentions to the "man maker" Rhonda that he "certainly didn't intend to hit that".
6. The character of "Meg" made her first appearance in How I Met Your Mother: Dowisetrepla (2007).
7. One of the names on Barney's bracket is Oprah.
8. During the review of all Barney's pictures you hear the music for the song One Shining moment which is a song played for the highlight reel of the NCAA basketball tournament.
9. 83% alert. Barney uses that number for all of his statistics. In this episode he mentions his eyesight is 83% gone.
10. Barney mentions a stripper named Karma who is in Vegas. Later in the series, Barney meets and falls in love with a stripper named Karma.

The Chain of Screaming

1. Many "How I Met Your Mother" cast members real life partners also appear on the show. Alyson Hannigan's (Lily) husband Alexis Denisof as Sandy Rivers (Robin's Metro News One Co-Host), Neil Patrick Harris' (Barney) boyfriend David Burtka as Scooter (Lily's High School boyfriend) and Cobie Smulders (Robin) boyfriend Taran Killam as Blauman (Barney's Co-worker).
2. Bob Odenkirk would go on to play another lawyer (Saul Goodman) on Breaking Bad.
3. In season 3 episode 15, Barney mentions at one point that Gary Blauman had died. However, Gary Blauman actually reappears in season 9 of the show.
4. In this episode, Marshall eats in Ted's new car. But in his own car, none of his friends could eat in the Fierro, because of the "No foods or drinks in the Fierro"
5. In season 3 episode 15, Barney tells a story about how Gary Blauman quits his job and ends up dead. Gary Blauman is seen or is in relevance to several episodes in the future
6. The first appearance of Bob Odenkirk as Arthur Hobbs.

Sandcastles in the Sand

1. In the dubbed version for German TV of this episode, Barney doesn't identify the man in the armchair in Robin's video as Alan Thicke, but as Jason Segel, the actor playing Marshall. The writers probably assumed that Alan Thicke was not known enough in Germany, even though in the 1990s Thicke's show Growing Pains (1985) was a hit on the same German station that broadcasts "How I Met Your Mother".
2. This is the first episode where the Foreskins' song "Murder Train" is played. It will also feature in episodes 4x10 The Fight, 4x24 The Leap, 5x07 The Rough Patch, 7x06 Mystery vs. History, 8x21 Romeward Bound, 9x24 Last Forever - Part Two.
3. Barney asks Robin if her friend is someone she went to "Degrassi" with. Degrassi is a hit Canadian/US TV show about teen drama in high school.
4. Lily's high school friend's name is Michelle. Alyson Hannigan, the actress portraying Lily, portrayed a girl named Michelle on American Pie.

The Goat

1. Lily asks Robin if Barney is shaved down there. Lily already saw Barney naked when she painted him so she should already know.
2. When Barney is citing the Bro code he states that article 89 as "The mom of a Bro is always off limits, but the stepmom of a Bro is fair game....." This is actually article 104, not 89. Also, by saying these codes in front of Lilly and Robin, Barney is in Breach of article 4, which states "A Bro never divulges the existence of the Bro code to a woman".
3. The pink dress worn by one of the wenches in Barney's fake history lesson is the same dress worn by Buffy in the Halloween episode of the 2nd season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when everyone is turned into their costumes. Alyson Hannigan (Lily) starred on that show playing the character Willow.
4. Ranjit rants at Barney for sleeping with Robin in Persian (Farsi). He says "na mard, na looti, na rafigh; akhe age oon doost dokhtare man bood ke..." Roughly translated, this means: "Inhuman, traitor, non-friend; if she was my ex-girlfriend, I [sic] would put my hands around your neck..."

Rebound Bro

1. Nosebleeds induced by sexual arousal are a very popular trope in Animes, Mangas and Japanese medias in general. Although a widely spread notion, it is not backed by medical science.
2. The events in this episode directly follow on from the events in the previous episode, which is when Ted turned 30, but when Ted tells Marshall & Lily that he hasn't had sex in 2 months, Marshall states that Ted hasn't had sex since Thanksgiving. Ted's 30th birthday was April the 25th 2008, and Thanksgiving 2007 was November the 22nd, meaning Ted hasn't had sex in over 5 months.

Everything Must Go

1. The website featured called lilyandmarshallselltheirstuff.com became a genuine auction website to raise money for a children's hospital in Los Angeles.
2. The website www.guyforceshiswifetodressinagarbagebagforthenextthreeyears.com really exists.
3. The maker of the frame, Anton Kreitzer, is also the fictional name used by Norm Peterson in the Cheers episode, "The Two Faces of Norm", season 8, episode 5.

Miracles

1. At the beginning of the episode Miracles, S3 Ep20, Ted is talking about which cab he could have gotten into. A battered car with taxi painted on the side is seen driving past and Ted wonders what would have happened if he had got in. Later, when Ted walks into the apartment the headline on the paper that Marshall is reading states "Nude Cabbie Vows To Kill Again" with an E-fit picture of the same driver of the battered car.
2. During Marshall's Miracle flashback about getting his old job back, he claims is was April when he visited Lily's classroom. But the kids are wearing pilgrim costumes and a turkey can be seen on a table, suggesting it's more than likely November, not April.
3. The bus that runs over Barney is going the wrong way down a one way street (the sign behind Barney says one way).