Though the show received three to five thousand letters a week from needy people wanting to be contestants, only a small fraction of those could be selected, mostly those thought to have the most interesting tales of woe.
Though the show received three to five thousand letters a week from needy people wishing to be contestants, only a small fraction of those could be selected. Although this was partly due to the natural limits of television production, critics said that the show picked mostly those thought to have the most interesting tales of woe.