5.9/10126 votes#1 - Rookie Summer
Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 9/22/1997
A flood of new recruits arrive at Baywatch to try out for rookie school, who include Hobie, Manny, and newcomers; Lani McKensie, a part-Hawaiian, part-Caucasian wanting to be a professional dancer, April Giminski, a naive, design major college student unfamiliar with swimming in the ocean, and Skylar Bergman, April's roommate who wants to become a paramedic.
Director: Gregory J. Bonann
Writer: David Braff
6.0/10119 votes#2 - Next Generation
Season 8 Episode 2 - Aired 9/27/1997
During the second week of rookie school, April is injured by a bump on the head caused by a mysterious wave runner rider which harasses her, Lani and Skylar and nearly causes her to be thrown out of rookie school. After visiting his home neighborhood, Manny becomes more determined to become a lifeguard than anything else.
Director: Gregory J. Bonann
Writer: David Braff
5.7/10116 votes#3 - The Choice
Season 8 Episode 3 - Aired 10/6/1997
Veteran lifeguard John "J.D." Darius arrives at Bayside and competes with Taylor Walsh, an attractive newcomer, for Mitch's old job as lieutenant and Mitch must make his own decision as to which one will be the most eligible one for his former job. Although J.D. has more experience as a lifeguard than Taylor, he is plagued by haunting memory of failing in a rescue at Daytona Beach where he worked some years ago.
Director: Gregory J. Bonann
Writer: Gillian Horvath
5.9/10118 votes#4 - Memorial Day
Season 8 Episode 4 - Aired 10/13/1997
On Memorial Day weekend, Mitch, April, and Skylar find a lot of problems on their hands after discovering the dead body of an elderly Navy veteran whose two elderly Navy buddies of his want to give him a proper burial in the ocean.
Director: Gregory J. Bonann
Writer: Kimmer Ringwald
6.4/10145 votes#5 - Charlie
Season 8 Episode 5 - Aired 10/20/1997
April's mother and her 12-year-old younger brother, Charlie, arrive for a visit where Mitch and Hobie try to make the best of the weekend with Charlie who is revealed to be dying from a rare form of cancer that April refuses to accept.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
5.9/10117 votes#6 - Lifeguard Confidential
Season 8 Episode 6 - Aired 10/27/1997
A sleazy TV reporter, called Roger Riptide who flies around the beach in a helicopter, starts dishing dirt on the private lives of the Baywatch lifeguards for his TV show much to the irritation of Mitch and Taylor, who suspect someone is leaking information to Riptide.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.0/10120 votes#7 - Out of the Blue
Season 8 Episode 7 - Aired 11/3/1997
While strange earth tremors plague the area, Mitch tries to get Jordan to meet her real biological mother on a fishing outing, who turns out to be a white woman named Rene, who's dying from a brain disorder and thinks the problem is hereditary. But things take a turn after a massive rouge wave, triggered by an underwater tremor, capsizes the fishing boat and traps Rene below decks in a room with toxic fumes.
Director: Parker Stevenson
Writer: David Braff
6.2/10123 votes#8 - Eel Nino
Season 8 Episode 8 - Aired 11/10/1997
The hot Santa Ana desert winds stir up more troubles for the Baywatch lifeguards when a typical day begins with a large hole appearing on the beach, as well as an uncharted sand bar, the lifeguard trucks disappearing and then reappearing buried in the sand. Also, mysterious deaths of sea lions point to a giant electric eel living in the Zuma Beach caves.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.3/10121 votes#9 - Homecoming
Season 8 Episode 9 - Aired 11/17/1997
Mitch is reunited with his old Baywatch lifeguard friend, Craig Pomeroy, now a full-time lawyer who's in town trying to honour a Native American's dying wish to die peacefully on sacred Indian grounds at the beach.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.0/10121 votes#10 - Missing
Season 8 Episode 10 - Aired 11/24/1997
Cody becomes consumed with guilt when his actions of leaving his post before the end of his shift to go on a date with Lani result in the disappearance of a young Latino woman swimming in the ocean, and the incident results in a hyped media circus that comes to the beach to cover the story.
Director: Parker Stevenson
Writer: David Braff
6.0/10123 votes#11 - Hijacked
Season 8 Episode 11 - Aired 12/1/1997
Caroline Holden returns to Baywatch during a break for her soap opera role in New York, which takes an unexpected turn when she is taken hostage by an armed robber which fills her with paranoia and fear for days after.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
5.9/10122 votes#12 - No Way Out
Season 8 Episode 12 - Aired 1/26/1998
After learning of Manny's ethnic prejudices originating from the Latino street gang that he used to hang out with, as well as from his mother who also may be prejudice at her son dating a Caucasian girl, an irate April joins Craig on a diving expedition that takes a turn for the worse.
Director: Gregory J. Bonann
Writer: N/A
5.9/10116 votes#13 - Countdown
Season 8 Episode 13 - Aired 2/2/1998
After Mitch saves a young girl on the beach from a live grenade, he and Cody investigate a sunken ship containing a cache of smuggled weapons where Cody is trapped in the hull of the ship 75 feet on the ocean floor after he and Mitch are taken hostage by a pair of arms smugglers looking to retrieve their arms shipment.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
5.7/10114 votes#14 - Surf City
Season 8 Episode 14 - Aired 2/9/1998
After breaking up with Manny, April sees romance on her mind with Craig, who is experiencing a mid-life crisis over leaving his wife. April asks a reluctant Craig to attend a formal dinner party with her prompting him to seek out advice from Mitch over the situation he is in.
Director: Gregory J. Bonann
Writer: David Braff
5.5/10122 votes#15 - To the Max
Season 8 Episode 15 - Aired 2/16/1998
Mitch meets Jenny Wade, a horseback riding instructor who rides on the Malibu beach everyday on her race horse, Max. Struck with love, Mitch engineers a picnic date with Jenny using a variety of circumstances, including encouraging Hobie to take one of Jenny's riding classes.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
5.7/10121 votes#16 - Night of the Dolphin
Season 8 Episode 16 - Aired 2/23/1998
Mitch's old policeman friend, Garner Ellerbee, returns where he recruits Mitch's help him bust a drug smuggling ring after a lifeless dolphin washes up on shore, and they end up putting Neely in danger when she willing agrees to place a tracer on a yacht of a shady man from the beach club she is life guarding at.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
5.6/10113 votes#17 - Full Throttle
Season 8 Episode 17 - Aired 3/2/1998
After a grudge motorboat race between April and Jordan, against Cody and Newman, Cody gets trouble when he uses Mitch's boat as the ante in a bet with a pair of local rich snobs in a more powerful motorboat race. When Cody becomes incapacitated after spraining his knee, Mitch steps in and soon discovers the true nature of the game with the men he and Newman are playing with.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.4/10126 votes#18 - Quarantine
Season 8 Episode 18 - Aired 4/20/1998
A long bad day begins when after Mitch rescues a struggling swimmer, the local Disease Control Center places the entire Baywatch Headquarters under quarantine after the swimmer shows symptoms of a deadly virus.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
5.4/10125 votes#19 - Diabolique
Season 8 Episode 19 - Aired 4/27/1998
Mitch rescues a troubled young woman, named Sara, from her boat after it catches afire after which she charms Mitch and gets his mother, Irene, to hire her as a nanny for Neely's baby, Ashley. But Mitch gets concerned when Sara quickly develops a dangerous obsession with him and tries to win his affections at any cost. When Mitch lets Sara down, she immediately shows her true colours and plots to make Mitch's life a nightmare.
Director: Parker Stevenson
Writer: N/A
6.0/10121 votes#20 - Bon Voyage
Season 8 Episode 20 - Aired 5/4/1998
In this three-part season final, Neely, Donna and Lani are chosen by the sports magazine 'Inside Sports' for a week-long trip to Alaska on the cruise ship Dawn Princess, where Neely tells Mitch she is thinking about visiting her ex-husband who lives in Juneau to reconcile with him. But things change when Hobie wins a contest for the same Alaskan cruise for him, Mitch and Cody to travel to Alaska as well.
Director: N/A
Writer: David Braff
6.0/10136 votes#21 - White Thunder at Glacier Bay (1)
Season 8 Episode 21 - Aired 5/11/1998
On the Dawn Princess, Mitch and Cody surprise Neely and Lani by showing up where Cody tries to stay close to Lani during her photo shoot aboard the ship.
Director: N/A
Writer: David Braff
5.8/10135 votes#22 - White Thunder at Glacier Bay (2)
Season 8 Episode 22 - Aired 5/18/1998
Gavin chases Leslie and Hobie up a mountain and through the skies in para-gliders right to a glacier where a standoff takes place with Leslie and Hobie trapped in a glacier gorge with Gavin above them, while Mitch and Cody follow close behind.
Director: N/A
Writer: David Braff
The Best Episodes of Baywatch Season 8
Every episode of Baywatch Season 8 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Baywatch Season 8!
Join the Baywatch lifeguards on their thrilling adventures filled with beautiful beaches and those iconic red swimsuits.
Genres:Action & AdventureDramaCrime
Season 8 Ratings Summary
"Rookie Summer" is the best rated episode of "Baywatch" season 8. It scored 5.9/10 based on 126 votes. Directed by Gregory J. Bonann and written by David Braff, it aired on 9/22/1997. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Next Generation".