Running in slow motion was particularly unpleasant for her. Did you realize that the iconic Baywatch eye candy was not part of the original plan? Eggert revealed that during her seasons, they were the test group for the new intro footage. Nobody told them it was going to be slowed down in editing, so they were running full speed. And let’s just say that slowing down a full-speed run did not look super flattering. She joked that the results were less hot-lifeguard and more awkward-P.E.-class. Despite all this, she did return to the franchise for the 2003 TV movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. Because, of course, she did. Cause she has to pay the bills, too.
Looking back, Eggert said she was blindsided on her very first day of filming. She hadn’t realized they’d basically live in bathing suits. All the girls were super fit and tiny, and to make things worse, she hated the one-piece suit. It was not as flattering as the viewers imagined it to be.
Feeling self-conscious, Eggert decided to get breast implants during a break. She’s since admitted she regrets the decision, especially considering she was just 18. At the time, though, she felt like it was the only way to survive the “pleating,” which is what she called the wrinkling of the suit made by flat chests. “You can’t stuff it, you can’t tape it—you’re just stuck,” she said.
In the end, Baywatch may have been a global hit, but for Nicole Eggert, it came with a heavy dose of typecasting, body image stress, and a whole lot of running she’d rather forget.
