Season Overview:
Baywatch Season 9 aired from September 21, 1998, to May 17, 1999, consisting of 22 episodes. This season was the last to be filmed in California.
Following the “Baywatch Bloodbath” at the end of Season 8, Baywatch decided to try and return to its roots. With focus on a smaller cast for more character development and back on the action over “babes”. David Hasselhoff, David Chokachi, Michael Bergen and Kelly Packard return with new additions Mitzi Kapture and Brooke Burns joining the Baywatch team.
With Gena Lee Nolin hanging up her red bathing suit at the end of season 8, producers needed to round off the marriage story with Neely and Mitch. Enter Jennifer Lynn Campbell as Neely v3.0 – Jennifer had previously guest starred in Season 3 & 4 as motorbike enthusiast Jessie.
Unfortunately, Baywatch was starting to lose its sparkle by season 9 – with some fans have commenting that previous storylines were being recycled and Baywatch just “wasn’t the same”.
Plans were in motion for Baywatch to make a big move at the end of Season 9, Australia was calling and backdoor pilot “Baywatch Down Under” was slotted into season 9. However, things didn’t quite pan out with Aus (you can read more about this under our page for the Hawaii move) …. by the end of Season 9, Baywatch said “goodbye” to California, along with goodbye to Chokachi, Kapture and Packard and “hello” to Hawaii…..
Main Cast:
Episode List
| Episode Number | Episode | Synopsis | |
|---|---|---|---|
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01 | CRASH PT 1 |
A 747 with Cody and April on board crashes into the ocean. Mitch and Neely’s marriage comes apart. |
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02 | CRASH PT2 |
he Baywatch lifeguards must rescue survivors of the crash of a 747. |
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03 | SHARKS, LIES & VIDEOTAPES |
Mitch meets his match when a rival lifeguard company goes head-to-head with Baywatch for the county contract. |
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04 | DOLPHIN QUEST |
Cody accompanies Alex when she takes her autistic nephew to Hawaii so he can experience the magic of swimming with dolphins. |
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05 | THE NATURAL |
Mitch and Alex have to deal with a mysterious phantom lifeguard and the return of the obnoxious Ed Symes. |
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06 | DROP ZONE |
April is traumatized by a drowning on her watch, and Jessie is reunited with a dangerous friend from her past. |
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07 | HOT SUMMER NIGHT |
Hobie could be charged with manslaughter in a boating accident and the stress of lifeguarding makes Jessie want to quit. |
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08 | SWEPT AWAY |
Mitch helps young boy with an abusive father and Alex auditions for Jeopardy |
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09 | THE SWIMMER |
JD and Cody consider applying for the Medal of Valor and Mitch sees everyone around him falling in love. |
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10 | FRIENDS FOREVER |
Preparations for the Special Olympics get a little hairy for Mitch when an orangutan enters the picture. |
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11 | THE EDGE |
Cody tries performance-enhancing drugs to help his Olympic chances, and Newmie and Mitch both have romantic challenges with Alex. |
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12 | THE BIG BLUE |
Mitch gets a visit from the Army’s Golden Nights and Cody helps train a national record-holding free diver. |
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13 | COME FLY WITH ME |
Mitch decides to take in an abused little boy, and Jessie is romanced by a secret admirer. |
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14 | BOYS WILL BE BOYS |
Cody, JD, and Jessie decide to compete in a pre-Olympic triathlon and Craig confesses that he has cancer. |
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15 | BAYWATCH GRAND PRIX |
Mitch gets a chance to race against driver Mark Martin, while Newmie leads the gang into showbiz when they try to sell a TV show based on their work at Baywatch. |
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16 | BAYWATCH DOWN UNDER PT1 |
When a lifeguard finds out his ex-wife is dead and he has a child he never knew about, the Baywatch team goes with him to Australia to meet his son. |
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17 | BAYWATCH DOWN UNDER PT 2 |
The Baywatch team discovers the dangers and excitement of lifeguarding on the wild beaches and huge surf of Australia. |
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18 | WATER DANCE |
Cody falls for a beautiful violinist while a frustrated Alex proves her worth to Mitch. |
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19 | DOUBLE JEOPARDY |
Alex rescues a thief, and Hobie declares his independence from Mitch. |
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20 | WAVE RAGE |
As Neely schemes to bring charges against Mitch, Manny has a terrible pier accident, which leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. |
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21 | GALAXY GIRLS |
he Galaxy Girl competition is in town and April and Jessie are in charge of the celebrity host – George Hamilton. Newmie misreads Alex and thinks she’s hitting on him, and Alex has to beg Mitch for an all-new kind of backup. |
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22 | CASTLES IN THE SAND |
As Cody investigates the disappearance of his new boat, Alex’s best friend’s fiancée comes to Baywatch to visit, meets Mitch, falls in love and calls off her wedding. In order to reunite the two, Alex and Mitch pretend to be a couple to dissuade the love-sick girl. |
Key Characters
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- Mitch Buchannon
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- J.D. Darius
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- Jessie Owens
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- Alex Ryker
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- Cody Madison
Recurring Themes
