The BEST episodes of Baywatch

Every episode of Baywatch ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Baywatch!

This long-running series follows the adventures of a team of lifeguards on the crowded beaches of Los Angeles County. Veteran lifeguard Mitch Buchannon watches over the younger lifeguards that come and go with each passing season as they keep the beaches safe for vacationers. Frequently he must take action to save them from the raging seas and from the raging tempers that sometimes flare up between the young guards in this stressful job.

Last Updated: 9/13/2024Network: SyndicationStatus: Ended
Chance of a Lifetime
star
8.31
52 votes

#1 - Chance of a Lifetime

Season 7 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/10/1997

Stephanie and Tom decide to spend their honeymoon on a two masted sailing schooner named ""Chance of a Lifetime"" with Mitch, Neely and a bunch of teenagers. They think the trip will help the teenagers face their fears and problems, while teaching them some important life lessons. The teenagers are Benjamin who is very intelligent, Megan whose parents died when she was five, Trisha who has a sense of humor, Diana who has asthma and Randy and Terry who are stepbrothers. Randy and Terry fight all the time and during one fight, they break the only radio on board. This means they don't get the warning call about a storm heading their way from Baja. When the sail collapses and the ship starts sinking, they are forced to abandon the ship. Caroline, Cody and C.J. are back at headquarters worrying about them. When they head toward the lifeboat, Stephanie notices that Trisha is missing. She goes back in and finds her on the cabin floor. When Stephanie and Trisha are on the deck, lighting strikes

Directors: Douglas Schwartz
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Talk Show
star
8.31
49 votes

#2 - Talk Show

Season 7 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/17/1997

Mitch rescues the life of a talk show host, who then invites him to appear on her show. C.J. is convinced that a stray dog found by her and Caroline posseses the reincarted soul of the late Stephanie.

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Breath of Life
star
8.29
14 votes

#3 - Breath of Life

Season 10 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/21/2000

Jason, at the request of a young woman, goes to visit her father and reluctantly learns a craft from him. Sean's feelings about Jenna change abruptly when he finds out her plans for the future and how they will impact him directly.

Directors: Rick Jacobson
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The Red Knights
star
8.27
52 votes

#4 - The Red Knights

Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/24/1994

Some old lifeguards known as the Red Knights are having a reunion at Baywatch. Among the lifeguards are the legendary Bud Gates who was the first lifeguard ever to swim to Catalina and back in the nude. But after a couple of years he mysteriously disappeared from the beach. Later it's revealed that he is convinced he saw Marilyn Monroe on the beach one day. When he was about to make a move on her, he got a call that someone had seen sharks at Topanga Beach. Later when he got back, she was nowhere to be seen. When Marilyn Monroe died, he retired as a lifeguard and went back to Omaha and opened a hardware store. Meanwhile, Ben isn't to pleased about the reunion. All the other Knights are still in good shape, but Ben isn't because of his broken hip. Bud asks Mitch how Ben got injured and he tells Bud that a couple of years ago, Ben was hang-gliding and saw a surfer in trouble. Ben was the only one who could rescue him and then he jumped from 30 feet and rescued the surfer. But during the

Directors: Cliff Bole
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Liquid Assets
star
8.19
53 votes

#5 - Liquid Assets

Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/1996

C.J. befriends a homeless man, who then dies and leaves her a fortune in his will. Hobie helps aspiring lifeguard Manny make the Junior Lifeguard.

Directors: Reza Badiyi
Writer: Michael Berk
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Big Island Heat
star
8.19
16 votes

#6 - Big Island Heat

Season 10 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/13/2000

As his trust in Jenna deepens, Sean decides to take a huge risk by sharing his most dark and emotional secret with her. He can only hope that Jenna will not betray his trust. Meanwhile, Allie struggles to keep up with a challenging day of rescues.

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Short Sighted
star
8.15
84 votes

#7 - Short Sighted

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/1994

After Caroline and Logan complete rookie school, Logan is named ""Rookie of the Year"" and chooses to work at Baywatch. Caroline, still smarting from her break-up with Logan, tells Stephanie she won't be able to work with him. During her first shift, Caroline's distracted by Logan's presence. Despite Stephanie's warning to watch a little girl, Caroline can't keep her eyes off Logan and almost misses a rescue when the girl nearly drowns. After Steph comes to the girl's rescue, a guilty Caroline confesses she missed the rescue because of Logan. Stephanie then decides to transfer Logan to Zuma Beach. Caroline's upset by Stephanie's interference while Logan threatens to sue. Mitch advises Stephanie to not let her personal feelings about Logan interfere with his job ability. Stephanie reconsiders and apologizes to Caroline, saying she'll be her boss when she's on-duty, but her sister off-duty. Meanwhile, Hobie befriends a new junior lifeguard named Carter, who panics when he learns of an up

Directors: Douglas Schwartz
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Rescue Bay
star
8.11
53 votes

#8 - Rescue Bay

Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/28/1994

When TV-producer Don Brand visits the beach, he is delighted to discover that the actions that take place on the beach are perfect for a TV-series. He calls the TV-series ""Rescue Bay"". He gets inspired when he witness Stephanie, Matt and Summer rescue two men on a boat, and when Garner catches a bad guy with the help of a kid's kite. Brand is convinced that he has a number one show in his hand. Brand follows the lifeguards around interviewing them about their jobs and personal lives. Stephanie reveals her and Mitch's relationship to him. Matt and Summer are played by two network-deal ingenues. Stephanie wants to play herself but when C.J. returns from Hawaii unaware of the shooting of a TV-series, she rescues the victims not knowing they are only acting. Brand is immediately smitten and offers Stephanie's part to C.J. and Stephanie becomes real upset. When the two roommates argue over who is best suited to play the role, Mitch agrees to help them with a kissing scene, but that doesn't

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Maui Xterra
star
8.08
13 votes

#9 - Maui Xterra

Season 10 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/24/2000

Jessie accepts an offer from her sister Dawn, who claims that she wants to help Jessie regain confidence by competing in a challenging triathlon. Sean and Allie worry about Jessie's health and wonder if Dawn might have darker motives behind her offer.

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Western Exposure
star
8.07
55 votes

#10 - Western Exposure

Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/25/1994

Famous country-singer Jesse Lee Harris is at the top of his career and because he tours constantly, his wife Crystal left him with their son Jackson. The problem is that she didn't tell him where they went. But one day, Jesse receives a Venice Beach postcard from Jackson and he is determined to find them. Therefore he takes a detour to Los Angeles on his way to Las Vegas and hopes to find his family there and get the marriage back together again. When Jesse walks around on the beach, showing people a picture of Jackson, two girls recognize him and then he is surrounded by 20 girls. When they all end up in the water, C.J. and some other lifeguards have to rescue him. C.J.'s friend Sadie who was on the beach next to C.J.'s tower is a country singer herself, and she recognizes Jesse. When C.J. finds out about it, she escorts him to headquarters. She also convinces him to come to the Denim & Diamonds Dance Hall to hear Sadie sing. Jessie accepts the invitation, and is so impressed by Sadie

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Soul Survivor
star
8.07
15 votes

#11 - Soul Survivor

Season 11 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/2/2000

While heading back to the training center, Sean is hit by Zack McEwan, a twenty year old riding his skateboard while carrying his surfboard. Unbeknownst to Sean, Zack is going to be one of the new trainees for the team. Not wanting Sean to know that he is a prospective team member, Zack hastily makes his way out of the area. Further down the road, Zack watches as Peggy, a pretty nineteen year old, tries to control her younger brother, Casey, who wants to dive off the road. Using Sean's very words, Zack warns the youth to take it easy. Of course, Casey doesn't listen and moments later has dived off the cliff. Fortunately, daredevil jet ski champion Cliff Tyler is in the area and radios the training center for help. Sean and Leigh head out. Sean warns Cliff to stay away, but ever the hot dogger, Cliff wants to get into the action. Instead, he causes trouble as Peggy's hair gets caught in the intake of his jet ski. Sean is forced to cut the tail pipe in order to free her hair. Cliff at fi

Directors: Frank South
Writer: Frank South
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A Knife in the Heart
star
8.07
15 votes

#12 - A Knife in the Heart

Season 11 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/9/2000

Axel, a young teenager riding a Jet Ski, blows past J.D., Zack and Leigh. J.D. yells at Axel to take it easy. Both Zack and Leigh see that something is disturbing J.D.: he never acts this way. Meanwhile, Kekoa is having one of the most nightmarish experiences a lifeguard can have: a grandfather suffers a heart attack. Moments later, Axel wipes out on his jet ski-the jet ski careening towards a young married couple. Kekoa calls for back up, but must contend with the man having the heart attack and Greer, Axel's father, who wants her to rescue his son first. Kekoa finally has to hit him with a rescue can to get him out of her face. J.D. and Zack arrive at the scene of the accident. JD tells Zack to stay with Axel while he tends to the couple. By the time he gets back to Zack, he sees that Zack has disobeyed his orders and has tried to bring Axel in, getting pummeled by the waves and nearly killing both himself and Axel in the process. This only sets off J.D. more. For Sean, the morning h

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Rendezvous
star
8.02
52 votes

#13 - Rendezvous

Season 7 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/7/1997

Cody encounters a mermaid during a rescue. Meanwhile, two teens form a suicide pact to be together when their disapproving parents try to keep them apart.

Directors: Gus Trikonis
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Red Wind
star
8.02
54 votes

#14 - Red Wind

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/26/1994

The Santa Ana Winds usher in some strange times for the lifeguards as Caroline helps an insane man who swears his daughter drowned in the ocean, while Mitch is tormented by a meek man, whose fiancée remains infatuated with Mitch from a years-ago rescue.

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The Killing Machine
star
8.00
15 votes

#15 - The Killing Machine

Season 10 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/15/2000

Mitch faces off against an eco-terrorist, and as the dust settles, Baywatchs' finest will never be the same.

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Hit and Run
star
7.98
53 votes

#16 - Hit and Run

Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/18/1995

From headquarters, Caroline sees that the local surfers are getting territorial again. When Mitch is forced to make a rescue, the locals and the victim's friend end up in a fight, but Logan breaks up the fight. Logan is still pursuing his business venture of Aussie swimwear and he has an important meeting with a major clothing manufacturer. But since his car is with a mechanic, he has to borrow one of the other lifeguards' cars. No one is willing to let Logan borrow their car, but Logan takes Cody's car without permission, when he has found out from Newmie that Cody is on a 24-hour-shift. Unfortunately for Logan, he gets involved in a collision which injures a pregnant woman. Logan quickly gets out of his car and tries to rescue the victim. When the police arrive, he tells them that the driver took off and that he saw the whole thing from the beach. The next morning, the police arrive at headquarters in order to take Cody down to the station. When he is about to leave for the police st

Directors: Gus Trikonis
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Muddy Waters
star
7.94
51 votes

#17 - Muddy Waters

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/2/1990

Cort takes a friend of his with him and go para sailing. By doing that, Cort breaks the lifeguard rules and Mitch has to lie to Captain Thorpe in order to cover for Cort. Because of that, Mitch lets Cort go to The Raging Waters Theme Park, a water-slide park. There, he is supposed to teach some teenagers what life-guarding is all about. He tells Eddie that Mitch wanted him to go too. Therefore, Eddie follows him there. One of the teenagers, named Sarah, has a crush on Eddie. This upsets Tad, another teenager who likes Sarah. When Tad doesn't qualify to be a lifeguard, he starts sabotaging the water-slides. Everybody thinks that Joe Madden is the guilty one. His son committed suicide at the park a year earlier. But when Cort has spoken to Madden, he finds out that he didn't do it. It turns out that Tad is the guilty one. And after a race up and down the water-slides, Garner is able to capture him. Meanwhile, Hobie's class are supposed to come to Baywatch. But in the last minute, Hobie's

Directors: Paul Schneider
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Liquid Visions
star
7.92
13 votes

#18 - Liquid Visions

Season 10 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/17/2000

The amazing recovery of a man rescued after being submerged for a very long time inspires Dawn. Kekoa debates getting involved in another relationship as she thinks she dooms her chances for happiness with self doubt.

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Guys & Dolls
star
7.90
52 votes

#19 - Guys & Dolls

Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/16/1994

When Matt is out water-skiing, he sees a young woman being swept into the ocean. When he has rescued her, she tells him she lost all her money in the water and that she needed the money for her audition. She wants to become an actress. She introduces herself as Rachel Henderson, and Matt feels sorry for her and loans her $ 100. Meanwhile, when Mitch is running on the beach, he sees a man sleeping in the sand. Then he realizes that the man is about to be run over by a beach tractor. He rescues the man just in time and the man introduces himself as Henry Krebbs. He tells Mitch that he is looking for his runaway daughter Nancy. His description matches Rachel's exactly. Henry tells Mitch that he is dying of cancer and wants to meet his daughter before he dies. The next day when Rachel doesn't return to give Matt his money back, Matt finds a receipt in the dryer. The note leads him to the marina where he finds Rachel. She runs away and when he captures her and tells her that her father is d

Directors: Cliff Bole
Writer: David Braff
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Trapped Beneath the Sea (2)
star
7.89
19 votes

#20 - Trapped Beneath the Sea (2)

Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/7/1995

As the crippled oil rig sinks and floods with water, Cody, Neely and Stephanie begin a desperate rescue effort to save the two young couples, and themselves, until the Baywatch lifeguards can arrive to help.

Writer: Michael Berk
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Coronado Del Sol (1)
star
7.89
56 votes

#21 - Coronado Del Sol (1)

Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/31/1994

The gang stays at the Hotel Del Coronado where strange things start to happen to Summer in her hotel room.

Directors: Gus Trikonis
Writer: David Braff
Bent
star
7.87
15 votes

#22 - Bent

Season 10 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/6/1999

An experimental submarine and its passengers ends up in a devastating tragedy for Allie, who finds & loses love all too quickly. She finally learns to trust Nick, a rescue swimmer working at the U.S. Coast Guard; a man she's been into for two weeks. Nick takes some huge risks when trying to save the passengers in the submarine, which unfortunately leads to him getting a severe case of the bends. He never wakes up, and Allie is devastated. Mitch arranges a lifeguard memorial service for Nick. Mitch tells her "Nick wasn't a lifeguard, but he died being one."

Directors: Robert Weaver
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Seize the Day
star
7.86
22 votes

#23 - Seize the Day

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/18/1995

After learning Tracy's dying, Mitch intends to make their last moments together count but tragedy cuts short their time together. Logan and Caroline try to stop a pair of reckless wave runners from cauing harm on the beach.

Directors: Douglas Schwartz
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Leap of Faith
star
7.86
22 votes

#24 - Leap of Faith

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/1995

C.J. returns from France without Matt. She, Stephanie and Caroline are training some Junior Lifeguards. In order to improve the girls' lifeguard skills, they separate them from the boys. During an exercise where the girls are supposed to rescue a dummy, they get distracted by the boys instead and no one even notices the dummy who sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Then they decide that the only way to teach the girls teamwork, is to take them to Catalina. Unfortunately for them, Neely invite herself and C.J. and Caroline become furious. But the two of them decide to give Neely a chance. When two of the girls, Erika and Taylor get caught in a strong current and ends up trapped in a cave, the girls have to act as a team in order to get them out. The rescue is a success and the girls learn what teamwork is. Mitch is surprised when he receives a letter from the Superior Court. They are requesting him to appear for the reading of a will. According to the letter, Mitch has been named benefici

Directors: Douglas Schwartz
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Forbidden Paradise (1)
star
7.86
51 votes

#25 - Forbidden Paradise (1)

Season 6 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/27/1996

Mitch, Stephanie, C.J., Matt, Caroline and Cody travel to Hawaii to train with Hawaiian guards. Once there, Stephanie finds romance with a Hawaiian lifeguard, Logan decides to compete in a surfing competition and a fishing trip becomes dangerous for Mitch and Matt.

Directors: Douglas Schwartz
Watch Now:Amazon