On that subject, I was mulling over a while back whether "pilot #3" is really the most common pilot available on the circuit [...] has anybody done any recordkeeping that it could be said definitely, "Yeah, there really are more pilot #3s out there than others"?
I'm going to wager there's no statistical significance here. Here's a list of what I could find:
Baloney* Pilot #2
Beat the Odds (Henry) Pilot #3
Caught in the Act ('75) Pilot #1
Family Feud (Dawson) Pilot #3
Fast Friends* Pilot #2
Gambit (1979) Pilot #2
Gambit (1990) Pilot #2
Jackpot (Nipsey Rusell) Pilot #2
King of the Hill Pilot #2
Match Game ('73) Pilot A
Money in the Blank Pilot A
Now You See It (1985) Pilot #2
Party Line Pilot #3
Press Your Luck Pilot #1
Second Chance Pilot #3
Shoot for the Stars (Monty) Pilot #1
Split Decision Pilot #2
Temptation Pilot #1
The Riddlers Pilot #1 (and only)
Top Secret Pilot #3
Trivia Trap Test #1 (VTR Sept. 1984)
We've Got Your Number Show B
Whew! Pilot #3
You Bet Your Life (Dawson) Pilot #3
Best I could format it; in short, that's 8 pilot 1s, 9 pilot 2s, 7 pilot 3s.
I was trying to be fair to the question and only include stuff that was traded, or otherwise knocks on the door of being available in one copy. Those with a star are from Mike Burger's Pilot Light only, in which I couldn't discern whether it's "the one" or not. I know there's more than one Oddball, etc. etc. The Bill Cullen gang posted Punch Lines pilot 1, but I didn't include it because I hadn't seen it "in the wild" before them.
-Jason