Penguin Readers Factsheets
T e a c h e r’s n o t e s
Baywatch: the Inside Story
by Deborah Schwartz
S U M M A R Y
he American TV drama series ‘Baywatch’ has been
T running since 1989 and is the most popular TV
show in the world. Set on sun-drenched beaches,
it is based around the lives of California lifeguards.
‘Baywatch’ episodes feature exciting rescue stories,
social issues, the problems of youth, and the problems of
being an adult. But what most viewers find irresistible are
the characters themselves: the glamorous men and
women lifeguards and their lives and loves. True to the
American dream, the men are handsome and the women
are beautiful - and all have the golden Californian tan.
Baywatch: the Inside Story is written by one of the
scriptwriters and producers of the series and gives
background information about the main characters, and
about the real job of lifeguarding itself.
ABOUT DEBORAH SCHWARTZ
Deborah Schwartz was born in California, and loved the
beaches from an early age. As a child she played in the
sea at famous beaches such as Will Rogers, Santa
Monica and Malibu. When she was a teenager, her brother
became a lifeguard and the California lifeguards became
her friends as well as her heroes. She attended their
competitions, took cake to them as they watched from
their towers and trained with them in the swimming pool.
In later life Schwartz became a Marriage, Family and
Child Counsellor, but in 1991 returned to her first love by
becoming a freelance writer on ‘Baywatch’. She has
written a great many episodes of the show, has been
involved in creating many of the characters, and has
received many awards for her writing. She also writes for
other TV drama series and is developing her own scripts
for television movies and feature films.
BACKGROUND AND THEMES
‘Baywatch’ was created by a real lifeguard called Greg
Bonann, who has also won awards as a documentary
film-maker. The show was originally produced by NBC,
one of the largest TV companies in the US, but NBC
decided to drop the series after only one season of
twenty-two weeks. The reason for this was that
‘Baywatch’ cost $1.4 million per show to make, but did
© Pearson Education 2000
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ELEMENTARY
not draw a large audience. Also, NBC executives did not
believe that viewers would watch stories about lifeguards
week after week.
However, Bonann wanted to continue making the show.
BAYWATCH: THE INSIDE STORY
He invited David Hasselhoff, the main male star of
‘Baywatch’, to join him, and together they formed their
own TV production company to re-launch the series.
Hasselhoff insisted on reducing the amount of violence in
the show, and insisted that he and Bonann should retain
creative control. Their success was so great that
Hasselhoff can now claim to be the most popular male TV
star in the world, with ‘Baywatch’ viewers in 142 of the
world’s 189 countries.
David Hasselhoff was famous before ‘Baywatch’, taking
the lead role in the adventure/science fiction series Knight
Rider, in which he drove a technologically advanced
talking car. However, the most spectacular career that has
been launched by ‘Baywatch’ is that of Pamela Anderson,
the beautiful blonde who played CJ Parker until she left
the show in 1997.
‘Baywatch’ made Pamela Anderson into one of the
biggest sex symbols in the world. She has appeared on
six covers of Playboy magazine. Born in Canada in 1967,
she was a model before becoming an actress, and moved
to Los Angeles in 1990. In 1996 she starred in her first big
film ‘Barb Wire’, in which she plays a sexy but aggressive
comic book heroine.
Real lifeguards say that ‘Baywatch’ has helped people
across the world to understand the importance of their
profession. Some people have even saved lives by
imitating the life-saving techniques which are realistically
portrayed in the show. As Deborah Schwartz’s book
shows, California lifeguards are a highly-trained force who
work under conditions of strict discipline. They need to.
Los Angeles county alone has 73 miles of sand. In the
summer there are only 600 lifeguards to watch the
thousands of beachgoers each day, while in the winter,
the number of lifeguards falls to just over 100.
One of the greatest dangers that face swimmers are rip
tides: strong currents which flow outwards from the shore
and so can carry people out to sea. These are the cause
of 80% of all lifeguard rescues.

Penguin Readers Factsheets
T e a c h e r’s n o t e s
Communicative activities
The following teacher-led activities cover the same
sections of text as the exercises at the back of the reader,
and supplement those exercises. Further supplementary
exercises, covering shorter sections of the book, can be
found on the photocopiable Student’s Activities pages of
this Factsheet. These are primarily for use with class
readers, but with the exception of pair/groupwork
questions, can also be used by students working alone in
a self-access centre.
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK
‘Baywatch’ is one of the most popular TV series ever
made. Put students into pairs and ask them to answer this
question: Why do people like ‘Baywatch’? Tell them to
look at the list below (give them a copy of it) and put
numbers next to the sentences.
People like ‘Baywatch’ on TV because:
BAYWATCH: THE INSIDE STORY
(a) the stories in ‘Baywatch’ really happen
(b) it is about the problems of young people
(c) it is about the problems of older people
(d) there are beautiful girl lifeguards
(e) there are beautiful men lifeguards
(f) there are beautiful beaches
(g) the people have happy lives
(h) the stories are about people and their lives
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION
Chapters 1-9
Write the exercises below on the board, or write them out
and photocopy them for students.
1 Put students into pairs. Tell them to close their books.
Then ask them to look at the list of people from
‘Baywatch’ and to put them with the words below them.
They then compare their answers with another pair.
(a) Mitch - Hobie
(b) CJ - Stephanie
(c) CJ - Mitch
(d) Stephanie - Caroline
(e) Logan - Kathleen
(f) Mitch - Stephanie
(g) Stephanie - Riley
lovers, husband and wife, sisters, live together in a flat,
father and son
2 In their pairs, students read Chapters 1, 4 and 8. They
then shut their books and complete these sentences
with one of the following numbers:
fifty-nine million, seven, 1972, 1 billion, 1,000, 142
(a) _______ people watch ‘Baywatch’ on television
every week.
(b) People in _______ different countries watch
‘Baywatch’ on television.
(c) In 1994, _______ people came to the beaches of
south California.
(d) At lifeguard school you must swim _______ metres
and finish in the first fifty people.
(e) Women only started to be lifeguards in ________.
(f) Gregory Bonann saved a boy who was under
water for _______ minutes.
© Pearson Education 2000
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2
Chapters 10-16
Put students into pairs. Each pair writes four sentences
about these people (20 sentences in total): Neely
Capshaw, Cody Madison, Matt Brody, Summer Quinn,
Jimmy Slade. They then join another pair and read their
sentences. The other pair guesses who the person is.
Follow up:
Students write a paragraph about one of the characters.
They use the character’s name for the first paragraph,
then the appropriate pronoun. Encourage students to use
linking words between sentences.
Chapters 17-23
Put students into pairs. Ask them to finish the sentences
below, without looking in their books. They then find
another pair. They read out their endings, and the pair
guesses the beginnings of the sentences. They then write
the sentences using because.
(a) Garner wants to be a detective, so...
(b) Ben can’t be a lifeguard because he has a bad leg, so...
(c) Shauni is afraid when the little girl is in danger, so...
(d) Eddie Kramer gets into a fight with Jimmy, so...
(e) John Cort learns that CJ and Matt are lovers, so...
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
1 Put students into groups. Ask them: What are the most
important things for a Baywatch lifeguard? They
number the words below from 1 to 5. Then have a
whole-class discussion. Can the class agree?
brave, strong, beautiful, a good swimmer, a good
friend
2 In different groups, ask students to talk about and then
write a simple story for one TV programme of
‘Baywatch’.
Glossary
It will be useful for your students to know the following new words.
They are practised in the ‘Before You Read’ sections of exercises at
the back of the book. (Definitions are based on those in the Longman
Active Study Dictionary.)
Chapters 1-9
actor (n) people see this man in films
brave (adj) not afraid
decide (v) to think that you will do something
drunk (adj) people are drunk when they drink too much wine
earthquake (n) a strong and sudden movement of the ground
lieutenant (n) a high job in the police, lifeguards, etc
lifeguard (n) this person works on the beach or at a swimming pool.
He/she helps people if they have problems in the water
kiss (v) to touch somebody with your mouth
real (adj) really being there
save (v) to help somebody and stop them from dying
secret (n) only you know this thing; you can’t tell anybody else
surfer (n) this person lies on a piece of wood on the sea and moves
with the sea
test (n) people have to take a test when they want to do something
difficult. The test says ‘You are good. You can do it’. Or: ‘You are bad.
You can’t do it.’
together (adv) with another person or people
truth (n) these words are right
Chapters 10-16
gold (n) this is hard, yellow and costs a lot of money
guy (n) a man
rule (n) this tells you what you have to do or have not to do
Chapters 17-23
movies (n) films
Published and distributed by Pearson Education
Factsheet written by David Penn and Tony Garside
Factsheet series developed by Louise James
 Penguin Readers Factsheets level

Student’s activities 1

2
Baywatch: the Inside Story 3
Photocopiable
Students can do these exercises alone or with one or more 4
other students. Pair/group-only activities are marked.
5
Activities before reading the book
Do you know the names (in 'Baywatch' on TV) of the four (b) two things you have to do at lifeguard school
6
people on the front cover of the book? Do you know the
real names of the woman on the left and the man at the (c) three things you learn to do at lifeguard school
front? ELEMENTARY
Chapters 5 and 6
1 Who are these sentences about: Stephanie Holden or
Activities while reading the book CJ Parker?
(a) She wants to be the best in everything.
CHAPTERS 1 - 9
(b) She makes many mistakes.
Chapter 1

BAYWATCH: THE INSIDE STORY

Are these sentences right or wrong?
(a) 'Baywatch' started in France.
(b) It started in 1968.
(c) It is about the lifeguards of north California.
(d) 'Baywatch' is not real.
(e) It has stories about real problems.
Chapters 2 and 3
Answer these questions. Put the letters on the lines. The
letters down the centre make a word.
(a) –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– ––
(b) –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– ––
(c) –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– ––
(c) She often falls in love with the wrong man.
(d) She is very young for a woman lieutenant.
(e) She was Matt's lover.
(f) She can be hard.
(g) Often people don't like her and are afraid of her.
(h) She went away to France with Matt and came
back without him.
(i) She wants to be the best of all the lifeguards.
2 Who do you want to share a flat with: CJ Parker or
Stephanie Holden?
Why? Talk with a friend. Who do they want to share a
flat with?
Chapter 7
Make sentences. Put together the two halves.

(d) –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– (a) Caroline couldn't live with her husband ...

(b) Caroline did well in her lifeguard test ...
(e) –– –– –– –– –– ––
(c) Caroline watched Logan on the beach ...
(f) –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– ––
(d) Caroline didn't want to be Logan's wife ...
(g) –– –– –– –– –– –– –– –– ––
(i) ... so she didn't see a child in danger.
(a) What is the most important thing for Hobie?
(ii) ... so she started work at the beach.
(b) Gayle is Hobie's ......... (iii) ... because he saw other women.
(c) Hobie says to his Dad: 'I'm always going to tell you (iv) ... because he didn't really love her.
the .........'
(d) What was the truth about Ken? That he was ........... Chapter 8
(e) Mitch is in his ......, and not on the beach, so he isn't Finish the sentences with the words below. Then put the
very happy. sentences in the right places.
(f) Ken was Gayle's .......... after some time, one day, seven, that day
(a) The boy was under water for ........................ minutes.
(g) What is Mitch's job?
(b) ........................ a boy went under the water and
Chapter 4 Gregory saved him.
Write sentences about the following: (c) He went to hospital and ........................ he was better.
(a) one thing you have to do before you can go to (d) ........................ Gregory Bonann took some writers to
lifeguard school the beach.

© Pearson Education 2000


Penguin Readers Factsheets
Student’s activities
Chapter 9
1 Make sentences. Put the two halves together.
(a) Logan came to California ...
(b) Stephanie put Logan and Matt together in a
boat ...
(c) Logan married Kathleen ...
(d) Logan didn't like Cody ...
(i) ... because she wanted them to work together.
(ii) ... because Caroline liked him.
(iii) ... because he wanted to stay in America.
(iv) ... because he wanted to be a lifeguard.
2 Do you like Logan Fowler? Why/Why not? Talk with a
friend or write your answer.
CHAPTERS 10 - 16
BAYWATCH: THE INSIDE STORY
Chapters 10 & 11
Which person said these things? Who did they say
them to?
Cody, Logan, Matt, Mitch, Neely, Stephanie
(a) ............................. said to ............................. :
'I have a girlfriend. I'm not interested in you.'
(b) ............................. said to .............................:
'Are you drunk?'
(c) ............................. said to ............................. :
'Matt's angry because he wants me to be his girlfriend.'
(d) ............................. said to .............................:
'I think she's telling the truth.'
(e) ............................. said to .............................:
'You must leave Baywatch.'
(f) ............................. said to .............................:
'I want to swim in the Olympic Games.'
(g) ............................. said to .............................:
'I can help you to swim better.'
Chapter 12
Write five questions on this chapter. Then find another
student. Give them your questions, and answer their
questions. Do not look in your book!
Chapter 13
1 Answer these questions.
(a) What does Matt's father think about Matt?
(b) Why did Matt leave lifeguard school?
(c) When Matt went back to lifeguard school, why
did Stephanie name him 'the best in the year'?
(d) What was Matt's problem with Neely Capshaw?
2 Work with another student. You are Matt and Matt's
father. Matt's father is going back to France. Have a
conversation.
Chapters 14 & 15
Who did the following things: Summer, Jimmy or Matt?
(a) helped Summer to jump 10 metres into the sea
© Pearson Education 2000
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2
(b) was secretly in love with Summer
(c) went to school back east
(d) gave Summer surfing lessons
(e) met a rich girl from Malibu
Chapter 16
Finish these sentences. Close your book first!
(a) In summer, each .......................... watches about 300
to 400 metres of the beach.
(b) Lifeguards have .......................... and radios.
(c) People are often .......................... in the sea, and then
it is difficult to save them.
(d) Lifeguards must be careful of the .......................... on
the beach and watch them when they go into the sea.
(e) Sometimes there are .......................... on the beach.
People have fights or people without ..........................
want to live on the beach.
CHAPTERS 17 - 23
Chapters 17 & 18
Put the right name in each sentence: Garner or Ben
(a) ........... was born in the east and moved to California.
(b) ........... began work as a lifeguard in the 1950s.
(c) .......... was a policeman.
(d) .......... met a beautiful woman called Maggie James.
(e) .......... got angry with his lieutenant one day and hit
him.
(f) .......... will always be a lifeguard.
Chapter 19
Finish these sentences.
In the lifeguard games, the lifeguards go swimming or
.......................... , they go out to sea in ..........................
and they .......................... on the beach. Many people
come to .......................... these games. Sometimes there
are .......................... people there.
Chapter 20
Work with a friend. You are Shauni and Shauni's father.
Shauni wants to go and live with Eddie. Have a
conversation.
Chapters 21 & 22
With your book closed, write five sentences about Eddie
Kramer and five sentences about John Cort. Then look in
your book. Were your sentences right?
Activities after reading the book
Do you want to be a lifeguard at Baywatch? Why/Why
not? Talk with another student.
Published and distributed by Pearson Education
Factsheet written by David Penn and Tony Garside
Factsheet series developed by Louise James