Baywatch Cast Feels There Was ‘No Better Job’ Than Working On The Iconic Show
Life has come full circle for the Baywatch cast as they huddle together after three decades for the Hulu documentary, After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun. Produced by ABC News Studios, the docu-series features the veteran stars of the iconic lifeguard rescue drama as they reflect back on the challenges and joys of navigating through supreme fame in the 1990s.
ABC News released an exclusive featurette on Tuesday, August 26, offering glimpses into the behind-the-scene lives of the Baywatch stars during its 11-season run. “I look back and was like, there really was no better job than Baywatch,” David Chokachi, who starred as lifeguard Cody Madison, quips in the very first scene of the preview.
Sitting beside him is the Stephanie Holden actor, Alexandra Paul, 61, who readily nods before the scene cuts to fleeting glimpses of the Baywatch vibe. Next, Jeremy Jackson, tucked between stars Traci Bingham and Carmen Electra, gleefully exclaims his childhood manifestations finally coming to life.
“Childhood memories finally manifesting,” Jackson laughs while hugging his senior co-stars Bingham and Electra. The 43-year-old actor and singer played David Hasselhoff’s child, Hobie Buchannon.
Nostalgic scenes from the Baywatch era appear on screen while producer and actor Nicole Eggert marked Baywatch, which debuted in 1989, a “fantasy.” Meanwhile, creator Douglas Schwartz boasted about the 1.2 billion viewers, or as he puts it, “the highest volume of viewers” in TV history, who tuned in weekly to catch new episodes.
While the world is aware of the exceptional fame Baywatch was subject to, most never got an idea of the equally stressful challenges the cast and crew had to endure. The Baywatch cast reminisce about how the show changed their lives, but also appreciate the awaited opportunity to share the off-screen struggles with their loyal fanbase.
“So coming together again, we’re just bonded because of that, because of what we went through — the good and the bad that came with that kind of fame,” Alexandra Paul noted while reflecting on the “unique” experiences the cast had once shared.
Likewise, Erika Eleniak acknowledged the opportunity to “speak candidly” about their behind-the-scene shenanigans and the massive impact of the TV show on all realms of their lives. It can be ascertained that the Baywatch cast had been waiting for such an endeavor.
Three decades later, ABC made it possible with the four-part documentary, After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, reuniting the stellar cast to examine and gather insights into how Baywatch became the most-watched TV show in the world.
Pamela Anderson, a former model for Playboy magazine, who basked in the spotlight for decades, appears around the end of the clip and jokes that she is proud of “almost” all of her work.
One Baywatch actor whom we don’t see in the featurette is Yasmine Bleeth. A major star in the TV industry, Bleeth’s fandom alone once pulled in significant viewers but the actress and model has unofficially retired from the spotlight following a long career in the public eye.
After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun is set to premiere on Wednesday, August 28 on Hulu.
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