Hulu’s ‘After Baywatch’ Addresses Highs, Lows of Fame: Biggest Revs — And What Wasn’t Included
Hulu's After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun pulled back the curtain on the success — and the failure — that came with starring on the iconic TV show.
The four-part docuseries, which premiered on Wednesday, August 28, featured interviews with stars including Nicole Eggert, Carmen Electra, David Hasselhoff, Billy Warlock, Alexandra Paul, David Chokachi, Jeremy Jackson, Traci Bingham and Erika Eleniak about their time on Baywatch.
"We have all been in so many documentaries and it is always the same story over and over," Eggert, 52, explained. "There was no real truth about people's journeys. It was time for the covers to be pulled back and to really get to know everybody and let people shine for who they are. I feel like a lot of people on that show were deprived of that."
Jackson, 43, meanwhile, compared his experience with Baywatch to a relationship, saying, "[It is] somebody you are in love with and then it is over. What do you do? Do you keep trying to relive it or get a new girlfriend who looks the same as the old one? I’d rather just forget about it, but I keep trying to get out and they keep pulling me back in."
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Baywatch, which ran from 1989 to 2001, centered around the lives of lifeguards who worked on California (and Hawaii) beaches while dealing with a variety of situations including earthquakes, shark attacks and serial killers. The series had dozens of cast shakeups over the years but ultimately turned into a cultural phenomenon.
After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun tried to capture the highs and lows that came with the Baywatch fame. Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations — and a breakdown of what wasn't included in the doc:
The Hypocritical Perspective on Playboy
Eleniak, 54, played Shauni McClain for the first three seasons of Baywatch. The opportunity almost didn't pan out, however, after NBC found out that Eleniak previously modeled for Playboy.
"I didn't need to do Playboy. In fact, I knew even at that age that it would create obstacles for me, but at that age you feel invincible," she recalled in the doc. "When you do Playboy as a celebrity, it is steak tartare. When you do it as a flavor of the month, it is nasty raw meat. It is hypocrisy."
Creators and producers of Baywatch fought to keep Eleniak — and were ultimately successful.
Kelly Slater's Complicated History With the Show
While Baywatch was a point of pride for some actors, Slater, 52, didn't feel the same way. Director Matthew Felker credited Slater, who is a professional surfer, for bringing "legitimacy" to the show.
"He hated that because behind his back, the surfer world was kind of laughing at him," Felker, who directed After Baywatch, said about Slater's thoughts on the "corny-ass" show. "I don't think it hurt him. He didn't like it, but his experience on Baywatch really helped him become the international megastar that he is — on top of being the best surfer that ever lived."
Slater was also interviewed for the doc, where he offered his own perspective on his seven-episode stint on the show.
"I just felt like the writing was so nonsensical in so many ways," he shared before referring to an episode where an octopus who lived in a cave stole surfboards. "It is pretty wild looking back that I got the chance to be on that show. I was hoping the show would get bigger and bigger and I'm forgotten about."
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Dealing With Massive Pay Cuts
Baywatch was originally canceled after its first season on NBC. It was brought back through syndication, which is when it received a setting change and cast overhaul before becoming Baywatch: Hawaii. Eleniak and Warlock, 63, were two of three cast members who stuck around, but they had regrets after seeing their paychecks.
According to Eggert, Eleniak and Warlock made $3,500 per episode while the cast of Friends was making $1 million for each episode at the same time.
"I actually remember freaking out seeing my first paycheck after the taxes were taken out," Eleniak told the cameras. "I was like, 'What just happened? How am I going to live on this money?'"
Warlock was just as confused by the lack of monetary compensation, adding, "Erika and I were the only two along with David [Hasselhoff]who made the transition from NBC to syndication. In order for the show to go, they needed to have us."
Warlock, who played Eddie Kramer, was also not thrilled with the lack of "standards and practices" with the new production crew. He specifically recalled being uncomfortable seeing a camera "go up the back of a girl's thong" when "the original Baywatch" never filmed scenes in that way.
Pamela Anderson's Tumultuous Marriage to Tommy Lee
From 1992 to 1997, Anderson, 57, played C.J. Parker on Baywatch, but the experience was overshadowed by her public ups and downs with Lee, 61. The former couple got married in 1994 after a whirlwind romance and expanded their family with sons Brandon and Dylan.
Anderson and Lee's marriage was fraught with drama, which started in 1995 when their sex tape was stolen. The pair filed a $10 million lawsuit to attempt to prevent the tape from being published, but the suit was eventually dropped.
According to Hulu's doc, NBC wanted Anderson to pull out of a few episodes after news broke about the NSFW footage. The ratings one week after the headlines doubled due to the public interest in Anderson.
Writer Michael Berk noted that Anderson's issues with Lee extended beyond the tape. Lee was allegedly not happy that Anderson had to film romantic scenes with Chokachi, 56. Anderson "couldn't kiss" Chokachi, and Lee later "trashed her trailer" out of frustration, according to several cast and crew members interviewed for the doc.
"I felt bad for her because she was under a lot of pressure from the outside," Chokachi shared. "I just felt bad because it should have been a really good time in her life, but instead she was cornered."
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Always Looking Picture Perfect
Chokachi became a heartthrob in the '90s because of his role as Cody Madison on Baywatch. He broke down some of the behind-the-scenes secrets about leaving an impression on a show that required the entire cast to run around in swimsuits.
"The problem is that sometimes it is 6 in the morning and it is freezing and you have to get in the water. The shrinkage is ridiculous so I had my own technique," he quipped. "I would try to find a towel or jacket and hide under it to do a little personal fluffing. Then it would create circulation and you could represent yourself a little better."
Not everyone found it as easy to be on screen over the years. Jackson, 43, who played Hobie Buchannon, found it tough growing up on a popular TV show.
"I was getting a bit chubby and was a little embarrassed," he revealed about how producers "prodded" him about his appearance. Eggert, meanwhile, recalled a "clause" about how cast members "couldn't gain and couldn't lose" five pounds, adding, "So you have to stay within your weight."
Lack of Diversity
After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun highlighted how Ingrid Walters and Traci Bingham were cast on the heels of the show receiving backlash for only having white actors on the show. Gregory Alan Williams, who played Officer Garner Ellerbee, was also interviewed about his experience as a Black man on Baywatch.
"You can't be as fit as the lead guy. I forgot my place on Baywatch — my character's place. My job wasn't to be sexy, I was the sidekick," he explained about his attempt to get in shape while on the show. "The sidekick has to be a clown. It is all about aesthetics, and my beauty wasn't celebrated. I realized I wasn't what they were selling."
Williams, 68, got emotional about how removed he was from the opportunities offered to the other cast, adding, "Baywatch was of great value to me. It taught me, empowered me and every now and then it hurt me. ... I really appreciate this. I really need a chance to work through this s–t."
Paul, 61, recalled her own efforts to bring on a boyfriend played by a man of color for her character, Stephanie Holden. It didn't work the way she wanted because instead Baywatch cast Carlos Lauchu, who played a former gang member.
"We made so many mistakes back then," Paul told the cameras while being on the verge of tears.
Growing Up in the Public Eye
Jackson candidly discussed being capitulated into stardom — and the problems that ensued throughout his life.
"I was passionately in love with a girl when I was 17. I gave up everything for her. I turned down movie deals and quit the show and I just made every waking moment about her and building a life with her," he recalled. "She was a drug addict, and I jumped right down the rabbit hole with her."
Jackson got sober after quitting Baywatch in 1999. He ultimately relapsed and struggled with an addiction to crystal meth.
"I had to go to rehab and jail," he explained in the doc. "I did five years on probation and came out alive. Recovery is the only thread that connects me to sanity and the potential of an amazing life. Without recovery, I have nothing."
In another scene, he admitted that "going through puberty" on the show was "painful."
“I was too young to hook up with the chicks but old enough to want to," he said before admitting he would smell his costar's bathing suit. "I would usually sneak into [the] trailers after they were done and grab their dirty bathing suits. ... “And Nicole was the big one, for sure. We had a very intimate moment, her and I, that she never knew about.”
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Hiding Details About Their Personal Lives
In 1994, Jaason Simmons joined Baywatch as Logan Fowler, who was known as a womanizer on the show. In real life, Simmons, 54, was gay, but he didn't want the information going public for the sake of his career.
"I had so much anxiety that [Alexandra] would have to take me to therapy twice a week when I was on the first season of the show just to get through everything that wasn't acting," he recalled. "So our relationship became very strong."
Paul and Simmons pretended to be in a relationship to distract from the rumors.
"It was very difficult for him. He is one of my closest friends on the show, so it was a secret that we kept. But it was so dangerous for a man to come out," Paul explained. "We wanted to make sure that he was protected. That's what he had to do back then. This new generation of young people don't care, and I love that. I wish that had been the case in the '90s, because it would have been so much less painful for Jaason."
Nicole's Decision to Go Public With Sexual Assault Allegations Against Scott Baio
Eggert accused her former Charles in Charge costar in 2018 of sexually assaulting her when they worked together on the sitcom, which ran from 1984 to 1990. Baio, 63, has continued to deny the allegations, but he confirmed he had sex with Eggert when she was 18.
"It was time for me to get that off of my chest and not live in that denial anymore," Eggert elaborated in the doc. "I knew the only way to heal was to lay it all out there. That's what happened, and it was probably one of the hardest things I had to go through. Probably harder than the abuse."
The Cast's Health Struggles
Eggert was diagnosed with stage II cribriform carcinoma breast cancer in January. She spoke about her health battle on screen and even reunited with Jackson, who showed her support. Felker, who directed the doc, also spoke about the time he has spent with Michael Newman, who was an actual lifeguard who played a version himself on the show.
Newman, 67, was previously diagnosed with Parkinson's, which he discussed on After Baywatch, saying, "Your whole life changes. When I wake up in the morning, I am weak and jittery. I take about 10 medications a day."
Despite his ongoing health struggles, Newman "still trains" in the water because it is easier on his mobility. Felker got emotional about seeing Newman's decline firsthand but pointed out that his legacy lives on in his son, Chris Newman, who is a lifeguard as well.
“What motivates me as a Parkinson's patient to get up in the morning is there is plenty of stuff I can go do. And there is plenty of stuff to keep me busy," Michael, who has battled the illness for over 16 years, shared. "I am just going to go until the wheels fall off."
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What Didn't Make the Cut
While there was a revolving door of cast members on Baywatch, Yasmine Bleeth's absence was felt since she is known for her role as Caroline Holden. Bleeth, 56, played Caroline until 1997 but later struggled with substance abuse issues. She was arrested in 2001 and pleaded guilty to possessing less than 25 grams of cocaine and to driving while impaired. She received two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Bleeth found love with Paul Cerrito the same year she entered rehab for her substance abuse issues, and they have been married since 2022.
Hasselhoff, 72, who played Mitch Buchannon, took part in the doc, but his public scandals were left out of the episodes. In 2007, Hasselhoff made headlines for a video (filmed by his daughter Taylor Ann) where he appeared severely intoxicated. His attorney later referred to Hasselhoff as a recovering alcoholic in a statement about the footage.
Who Wasn't Featured in the Doc
Jason Momoa played a character named Jason on Baywatch: Hawaii from 1999 to 2001. While his casting was briefly mentioned in the doc, Momoa, 45, did not participate, and there was nothing mentioned about his personal life.
Another former cast member who wasn't mentioned much — or at all — was Brandon Call. He was the first actor to play Mitch's son, Hobie, in season 1 before Jackson took over. There were interviews that revealed how Leonardo DiCaprio was in the running before Jackson received the role, but Call's time on screen wasn't brought up.
Mila Kunis was the last big name who didn't appear in the doc. While her run was limited to two different characters who appeared in one episode each, Kunis, 41, is still well-known enough that her absence was noticeable.
