The Biggest Revelations From the ‘Baywatch’ Docuseries ‘After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun’

Welcome to the beaches of Baywatch!

The hit ’90s TV series followed a team of lifeguards as they saved swimmers and navigated their personal relationships, but Baywatch became best known for the swimsuits worn by the actors: low-cut, scooped red one-pieces for the women and exposed abs for the men.

“People watched the show for the hot bodies and the slow motion,” Carmen Electra, who played Lani McKenzie in the show’s eighth season, tells PEOPLE. “These guys were hot, muscular, and they wore Speedos. It wasn’t just for us girls. They were like, ‘See? Everything’s equal here. Take your pants off!’”

Now, three decades later, Nicole Eggert, who played Summer Quinn on the show for two seasons when she was 18, reunited with more than 35 cast members to reflect on their Baywatch days in a project she produced alongside Matt Felker, After Baywatch: A Moment in the Sun (now streaming on Hulu).

Here’s a look at the biggest revelations from the new docuseries.

At its peak, Baywatch attracted more than a billion viewers

Baywatch was a phenomenon during its 11 seasons, from 1989 to 2001, so much so that co-creator Douglas Schwartz revealed that it had 1.2 billion viewers per week.

“This is the highest audience volume ever recorded in the history of television for a show,” he said.

“The global reach Baywatch “What I’ve had — and still have — is just mind-blowing,” former star David Chokachi tells PEOPLE. “I’ve been to some of the most remote places in the world, and I’ll be known for my time on Baywatch.”

The actors and creators have all been honest about the quality of the scripts

Over the years, the plots have become increasingly absurd, but fans have not been discouraged. Professional surfer Kelly Slater, who appeared on the show, recalled an episode in which an octopus stole surfboards and took them hostage.

“I felt like the writing was so absurd in so many ways,” he says.

Co-creator Douglas Schwartz adds: “We were the butt of jokes about The Tonight Show with Jay Leno all the time, and every time he made a joke, our ratings went up.

David Hasselhoff, who played the handsome Lt. Mitch Buchannon, perhaps summed it up best: “The show really wasn’t good,” he admits in the docuseries. “But we made it good because we were passionate about it.”

Tommy Lee Didn’t Want His Then-Wife Pamela Anderson to Kiss His Co-Star David Chokachi

The documentary series also features archival footage of Pamela Anderson (who played CJ Parker). In one of the clips, she says she remembers where she was when she realized she was famous.

“We went to London to promote Baywatch “And the photographers were falling backwards and down the stairs, and I was looking behind me and I was like, ‘Who are they photographing?’ And I literally realize it’s me,” she says.

Anderson married Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in 1995, and the relationship between the two was, at times, notoriously tumultuous.

“It made his life complicated. It made our lives complicated,” says co-creator Michael Berk, who recalls a time when a frustrated Lee “trashed” Anderson’s trailer while she was busy shooting a scene with Chokachi.

In another instance, he recalls Anderson begging him to change the script. “Pam came to me one day and said, ‘Please rewrite this scene where I have to kiss David Chokachi. Tommy is feeling really insecure right now and this is not the right time.'”

Michael Douglas shares a similar memory. “We always had problems with Tommy Lee, who was jealous of Pam’s relationship with the other actors on the show,” he says.

Chokachi, for his part, considered his relationship with Anderson to be that of a “brother-sister,” but that did not mean Lee agreed.

“Tommy Lee took our scenes when we were boyfriend and girlfriend literally,” Chokachi says. “I felt bad for[Pam]because she was under a lot of pressure.”

The actors were paid around $3,500 per episode.

Despite the show’s success, the actors didn’t make much money. Eggert says they were paid “about $3,500” per show.Friends “At that point, I think they were each making $1 million an episode,” Eggert says.

Erika Eleniak adds: “I remember panicking when I saw my first paycheck after taxes. How am I really going to live on this money?”

“There is not a single rich actor on Baywatch. Not one,” says Billy Warlock, who played lifeguard Eddie Kramer for two seasons.

Alexandra Paul pretended to date Jason Simmons to help him hide his sexuality

Jaason Simmons played the role of Australian lifeguard Logan Fowler.

“His character has always appealed to women, and he’s done it very well,” says Alexandra Paul, Simmons’ longtime friend and partner.

The problem was that at the time, Simmons had not yet come out, and exposing actors’ homosexuality was “like a sport for the paparazzi,” Felker says. “They[Simmons]hunted him like an animal.”

In order to divert attention, Paul and Simmons pretended to be a couple.

“He’s one of my closest friends on the show, so it was a secret we kept,” Paul explains. “It was very dangerous for a man to come out, especially when you’re a good-looking lead actor, because producers wouldn’t cast you as a straight guy who picks up girls, and that was the character he was playing.”

She adds: “There are pictures of him and me in the National Enquirer “He was holding hands and kissing because he needed a beard. We did a photoshoot of the two of us naked that made the cover of a British newspaper. We wanted to make sure he was protected.”

After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Nicole Eggert Says She Has ‘No Regrets’

The actress revealed that she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, cribriform carcinoma, in early December 2023. Today, she says she’s “just trying to stay positive every day.”

“I’m on a roller coaster. There’s ups and downs, and I just try to wake up every day feeling really positive and ready for whatever’s coming my way, to be honest with you,” she tells PEOPLE.

Working on the docuseries over the past five years has also proven to be very cathartic for the former actress, especially as she’s been dealing with her breast cancer diagnosis for the past eight months.

“Having a little girl and doing this project has really motivated me to think about more than just my health and well-being. It gives me a sense of purpose,” says Eggert, who is mom to Keegan, 13, and adult daughter Dilyn, 25. “It motivates me every day. I think the pace of life always has a purpose. It’s been a great distraction, and my girls have kept me focused.”

Eggert’s story with Baywatch She joined the show in 1992, when she was only 18 years old. She stayed there for two seasons.

Reflecting on his time on the show, Eggert now says, “I stopped Baywatch“But running away from things doesn’t make them go away. When I was young, I kind of ran away from them,” she admits, “but I have no regrets at the same time. I don’t believe in it.”

Jeremy Jackson struggled with addiction during his time on the show

Jackson, who played Hasselhoff’s character’s son on the show, details his methamphetamine addiction in the docuseries, recalling an interaction he had with Hasselhoff on set.

“I remember David asking me, ‘Do you smoke weed or something?’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, do they think I smoke weed? I could never tell them the truth. What would they think?’” Jackson recalled.

“When you haven’t slept for five days and you’ve been smoking meth, to hear someone look you in the eye and say, ‘Dude, are you okay?’ is the worst thing that can happen.”

Jackson also served time in 2017 for his involvement in an alleged stabbing.

“I was definitely going downhill. My life was slipping away like sand… Would I do it all again?” Jackson wonders about his life choices on the show. “Probably not.”

Still, the former child star tells PEOPLE he’s grateful to be where he is today.

“It is not a question of morality, courage or personal character and virtue, but I am in remission from the chronic, fatal and progressive disease that I once suffered from, thanks be to God,” he said.

Mike Newman has been living with Parkinson’s disease for 18 years

Newman, the only real lifeguard in the cast, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 50, telling PEOPLE that “all those things you thought you were going to do with your kids and grandkids, the pictures we were going to take, all the plans I had… just stopped.”

After Baywatch: A Moment in the Sun It sheds light on Newman’s new normal and what it’s been like for him to live with the disease for 18 years. He takes 10 medications a day and says he often wakes up “nervous” in the morning.

“I enjoy the days I have on this earth with my family and friends. I take life seriously,” the 68-year-old tells PEOPLE, before sharing the words that guide his life: “It’s not a foot race.”

“I hope this documentary will shine a light on the heroism of the rescue profession and strengthen respect for the global brotherhood of men and women who consider it an honor to risk their lives every day to save others,” he added.

Newman also recognizes the importance of talking about his journey with one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases (second only to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation).

“I also hope that by telling my personal story, awareness will be raised about the importance of finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease,” he says.

After Baywatch: A Moment in the Sun is currently streaming on Hulu.