Carol Merrill (born Carol Lue Hiller; January 19, 1941) is an American former television

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

model best known for her appearance in ''

Let's Make a Deal ''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...

'' during the show's original run from 1963 to 1977."Carol Merrill"
Let's Make A Deal (A Joint Venture); retrieved May 15, 2010.

Modeling

While on ''Let's Make a Deal'', Merrill would model the various prizes, present money to contestants, and perform various other tasks as an assistant to host

Monty Hall Monty Hall (born Monte Halparin; August 25, 1921 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sport ...

. On ''Let's Make a Deal'', Merrill was frequently referred to by Monty Hall by her full name, and thus became one of the first game show models to be known as such, rather than the customary first-name-only naming convention used by such shows as ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...

''. This allowed Merrill to gain wider recognition than other game show models of the time, and her celebrity status has led to many guest appearances on talk shows such as the '' Late Show with David Letterman'', '' Good Morning America'', and '' Geraldo''. As Hall once put it,

''"I never said 'door' without saying 'Carol Merrill.' 'Let's see what Carol Merrill has behind door No. 2.' 'What Carol Merrill has in the box.' So she and
Jay Stewart Jay Stewart Fix (September 6, 1918 – September 17, 1989), known professionally as Jay Stewart, was an American television and radio announcer known primarily for his work on game shows. He was probably best known as the announcer on the long r ...
, my announcer, became stars. Everywhere we went, people would say, 'How's Carol?' 'How's Jay?'"''

Merrill, along with long-time ''Let's Make a Deal'' announcer

Jay Stewart Jay Stewart Fix (September 6, 1918 – September 17, 1989), known professionally as Jay Stewart, was an American television and radio announcer known primarily for his work on game shows. He was probably best known as the announcer on the long r ...

, made an appearance in 1986 on the finale of ''The All-New Let's Make a Deal'', modeling a zonk (200 pounds of bananas) along with Stewart. After learning that the contestant traded $1,427 for the zonk, Merrill decided to let him have the $1,427 anyway while Stewart gave him a banana bunch to go with the money.

Acting

In addition to her 14-year stint with ''Let's Make a Deal'', Merrill was a model on the short-lived TV series ''Your Surprise Package'', and for one episode of the TV series '' Burke's Law'', both during 1963. She also played several other small roles in various films in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Other interests

After ''Let's Make A Deal'', Merrill began working in the natural health field. She has written articles on various personal health topics for two online newsletters. In an interview on Late Night with David Letterman in 1982, Merrill stated that she was managing a restaurant she was part owner of, The Whale Watch restaurant in Malibu. In 1989, Merrill moved to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

and spent several years working on various environmental issues. For her environmental work, she received the

Hawaii County Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Mayor's Award of Excellence and the First Lady's Outstanding Volunteer Award from the State of Hawaii. From 2001-09, she and her husband, Mark Burgess, lived in Australia before returning to Hawaii. In recent years, Merrill has reappeared on the

Biography Channel FYI (stylized as fyi,) is an American basic cable channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications (each owns 50%). The network features lifestyle pr ...

's episode about Monty Hall, and on several episodes of ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show Television pilot, piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debut ...

'' (serving as a bonus prize model during the show's first Game Show Week in 2002).

Personal life

Carol Lue Hiller's first husband was Richard Thomas "Tom" Merrill, whom she married in Los Angeles County, California, on July 17, 1960, at the age of nineteen. Her second husband, Bernie Safire, is the father of her daughter, Hillary Safire. Hillary appeared as the model for ''The New Truth or Consequences'' in 1987, and in the 1983 ''Sports Illustrated'' swimsuit issue. Carol Merrill has been married to Mark Burgess since 1985. Carol Merrill is the aunt of actress

Carla Gugino Carla Gugino (; born August 29, 1971) is an American actress. After appearing in ''Troop Beverly Hills'' (1989) and ''This Boy's Life'' (1993), she received recognition for her starring roles as Ingrid Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' trilogy (2001� ...

, who has credited Merrill as being the person responsible for getting her interested in show business.

References in popular culture

Merrill is mentioned by name in lyrics of the song "Door Number Three", written by Steve Goodman and Jimmy Buffett, and featured on Buffett's 1974 album '' A1A'' as well as on Goodman's 1975 album ''Jessie's Jig and Other Favorites''."Jimmy Buffett Song & Lyrics Database: Door Number Three"
BuffettNews.com; accessed March 27, 2016.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Carol American television personalities American women television personalities Game show models People from Frederic, Wisconsin 1941 births Let's Make a Deal Living people