When the show first aired, the contestants wore normal everyday business attire. Monty Hall recalls that during one of the early airings, a contestant came dressed as a chicken, and he picked her. A few days later, someone else wore an outlandish costume and once again he picked her. The rest, as they say, is history.
The show provided the name for the "Monty Hall Problem". This is a counter-intuitive probability conundrum. The best strategy to win the prize on the show is to swap your choice when given the opportunity. This will double your chance of winning. Many people, including at least one Nobel laureate, disagreed with this strategy, but were subsequently proved wrong. Some people are still unconvinced.
The original pilot was designed by a former NBC-Burbank staff Art Director Bob Kelley, with Hub Braden assisting as draftsman and Assistant Art Director. Wink Martindale was tested as Host for the pilot, video taped on Stage 4 with an audience. Three shows were rehearsed and taped for a pilot presentation. Wink Martindale was a young handsome radio personality, also being tested and auditioned for a NBC's daytime television program host position. The game show was sold for the NBC daytime program schedule with Monty Hall replacing the TV Pilot's Host, Wink Martindale. John Shrum, NBC-Burbank Art Department Staff Art Director, was assigned the show by Milt Altman (NBC Art Dept. Management Director), a usual procedure when a pilot was picked up. Bob Kelley had quit his position with NBC-Burbank's art department staff; he was hired, brought back to design the set as an independent freelance Art Director. Kelley did not want to be tied down with a day-time series. Jay Krause and Spencer Davies, also staff NBC roster art directors, would not accept the show assignment. John Shrum's sense of humor and creative ability was ideal for the nonsense the producers required of an Art Director... crazy.
This was the only U.S. game show in which the prize values were given out to the penny (i,e, "It retails for $1285.95.") All other game shows round off the prices to the nearest dollar.