| At first, David Chokachi '90 was understandably awed by working with his co-stars on "Baywatch," the most-watched television program in the world. "In the beginning it was intimidating," he said recently. "But after about two weeks, you realize everybody's human, and everybody puts their pants on the same way." Not that the stars on "Baywatch" are putting pants on that much. The syndicated show, portraying the lives and loves of a small group of Southern California lifeguards, derives at least some of its amazing world-wide popularity from its insistent aversion to clothes. "Baywatch" is also the latest pop culture fad to feed into the escapist, sun-and-fun image of the Southern California beach culture, first cultivated by the Beach Boys more than three decades ago. Today, "Baywatch" perpetuates that Southern California dreamin' lifestyle. The phenomenon is undeniable: each week, more than a billion viewers worldwide tune in. "Watching the show is a great way to escape," says Chokachi of the show. "And that's a concept that translates pretty well around the world." Chokachi is the newest addition to the buff Baywatch band, playing Cody Madison, a Pepperdine University swimmer and Olympic hopeful. To get the role, Chokachi had to beat out hundreds of other Cody wannabees. Some didn't get the job for a simple reason: they were afraid of the water. He says his athletic ability, honed partly at Bates as a letter-winning member of the football and lacrosse teams (his former coach, Web Harrison '63, remembers Chokachi as a "dedicated athlete") helped quite a bit. | |
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