Did ‘HSMTMTS’ Include Olivia Rodrigo Easter Egg in Series Finale?

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series bid farewell to the East High wildcats in its season 4 finale, however not with out seemingly honoring former costar Olivia Rodrigo.

In the sequence finale, which dropped on Disney+ earlier this week, Ricky (Joshua Bassett) will get a candy praise that pertains to Rodrigo IRL.

“That took guts — what you did back there,” Gina’s mother, Terri (performed by Napiera Groves), stated after Ricky professed his love for Sofia Wylie’s character in track. “Guts are good [and] maybe you were worth the wait.”

While having “guts” is sweet for sharing emotions, it’s also the title of Rodrigo’s second album. Rodrigo, 20, starred as Nini — Ricky’s first girlfriend — on the primary two seasons of HSMTMTS, in the end exiting in the center of season 3 as her budding singer-songwriter profession began to take off in actual life.

Rodrigo — who dropped her debut LP, Sour, in 2021 — is slated to launch Guts on September 8. “For me, this album is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life,” she stated in a press launch in June about her musical inspiration. “I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20 — it was such an intense period of awkwardness and change. I think that’s all just a natural part of growth, and hopefully, the album reflects that.”

While it has not been addressed if the “guts” line was a particular nod to Rodrigo, many followers instantly picked up on its potential allusion. “OK, BUT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICED???? ‘GUTS are good.’ Gosh Olivia its everyere [sic], even she is not on the show anymore, wow,” one social media consumer tweeted on Wednesday, August 9. “HSMTMTS cast is a Guts stan and we knoww about that!!!!”

Rodrigo didn’t seem in the fourth and closing season of HSMTMTS, although her character was talked about fairly a bit. In the penultimate episode, Ricky even famous that he was following Nina’s custom of handing out personalised playing cards to everybody in the drama membership in advance of the college musical’s opening night time. Show creator Tim Federle, nonetheless, didn’t plan to write down an extra storyline for Nini after the character moved from Salt Lake City to California to pursue a profession as a songwriter.

“I felt really confident about that ending and Olivia is so busy with her songwriting career. At this point, we are introducing so many new people, the OG characters and we wanted to bring back other really important characters,” Federle, 43, instructed Variety on Wednesday, August 9. “I kind of felt like, with only eight episodes, it just becomes cameos as opposed to real stories. The offer was extended to her insomuch as Olivia knowing from me that she can always come back. But it was never really seriously discussed because there were new relationships we had to write for.”

HSMTMTS as an alternative primarily centered on Ricky and Gina’s relationship. “My evolving thought is that Ricky and Gina are really in love for the first time together because they’ve experienced some of the world,” Federle solely instructed Us Weekly earlier this month. “They’ve gotten a little pushed down. So much happens and it’s beautiful to be able to write this relationship — no holds barred.”