Show developer Laura Gibson revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the idea for Too Hot to Handle came to her after she rewatched Seinfeld's "The Contest episode. "They all had to not masturbate for money, and they all cave. I said, 'There's gotta be a show in there,'" she told EW.
"The Contest" aired on season four of the beloved NBC show in 1992. "We talked about it being like the minibar in a hotel. This is what the peanuts will cost, like that," showrunner Viki Kolar explained.