I had one internet dealer rep tell me he could order the Pilot I wanted with a $500 refundable deposit. Would take 6-8 weeks.
I had another interent dealer rep tell me they can't order specific Pilots from Honda, they just get an allocation of 7 Pilots per month. She said she would watch her allocation for the Pilot I wanted and then call me approximately 6 weeks prior to delivery.

It appears the first dealer rep is just trying to lock me in with a $500 depoit (though he says it's refundable) and will be watching his allocation of incoming Pilots.

Does anyone know the truth? Thanks.

The first dealer could be trying to use a technique called "take the customer off the market" according to my friend that works at a dealer.
You keep waiting for the one they promised you and in the mean time you don't shop around for another one.