In 1961, June Poplar, the second contestant, had won the first International SCUBA Triathlon competitions in New Orleans, together with teammate Mary Edith 'Mel' Lillis.
Abe Burrows had co-written and directed the Broadway hit-musical 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying' which opened on October 14, 1961, at the 46th Street Theatre. The show would run for 1,417 performances and win seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics' Circle award, and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The comedy was adapted into 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)'.
Austrian-American Franz Furtner (1907-1994), the last contestant, was also known as 'Unus', a famous hand balancer who could do stands solely on his forefinger. Furtner was appearing in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden in New York City.