The first two contestants, Lt. James Hickman and Lt. Robert Goldner, were the Navy's 'Patrol Squadron 18' Lockheed P-2 Neptune pilots, flying out of Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico, who first spotted Astronaut Lt. Cmdr. Scott Carpenter after his spacecraft 'Aurora 7' splashed down 250 miles (400 km) off-course on May 24, 1962.
Shirley Booth had just won 'Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead)' for 'Hazel (1961)' at the The 14th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1962) held on May 22, 1962, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.