Just finishing Season 9, the most annoying things about this season is how they reverted Neely back to how she was in the beginning when she first appeared on the show. I feel like the last two seasons of her character evolving into a good person and a good lifeguard have been for nothing. I know they changed actresses but there was no reason to do this. Anyone know why they did this to her character?
shareThey also used a different character for her (I think her name was Jennifer Campbell, who played some smaller roles in earlier Baywatch episodes).
I read about how the actors who played Neely and Mitch both were happy how the season concluded with their wedding on the cruise ship in Alaska and the original 'show plan' was for them to continue that direction, but that the 'show plan' changed, and they wanted Mitch to be 'single', so that is why they came up with that loophole at the beginning of the next season where their marriage wasn't technically legal, or something. The character playing Neely did start out still on the up and up, but the scripts slowly turned her bad again.
Neely (The real Neely) was gonna stay for the season but then opted out, she took time off to be with her real life baby and also didn't like how the storylines would be portraying her (again), I saw an interview on tv somewhere where she stated this clearly and that was about half the factor she opted out of the show completely. Hence, the new actress coming in to take her place.
I didn't like it either, but by the last 1-2 seasons, Baywatch had burned out anyways and the ratings were going down.
In the 'movie' Baywatch Hawaiian wedding, Neely does redeem herself and help save Mitch from marrying the Stephanie look alike. Neely and Yasmine (who we are supposed to believe remained friends 'in the show') show up uninvited to Mitch's wedding and the Stephanie look-alike convinces Mitch to just let them both stay, hoping to make fools out of them in front of Mitch. In show time, this was about 4-5 years later (around 2003-ish) It was a cheesy movie, but many of the original or classic Baywatch members came back for the movie, and Neely plays a "good guy" who at first Mitch doesn't want to be around (towards the middle, Mitch starts to see that perhaps Neely isn't playing games like her old typical self), yet redeems herself in the end and her and Mitch become friends again :)
Thanks for the info. I smashed through the later seasons and the movie not long after my original post and it was good seeing the real Neely return for the movie. Really enjoyed the fresh approach of Season 10 but didn't like that they cut a couple characters in Season 11 with little explanation, typical Baywaych I guess.
shareThe movie was cool...and yes as stated, Neely shows up and redeems herself.
One thing I never understood about the movie is the part where Eddie and Caroline are trapped in that underwater thing and it starts "filling up with water". One problem - it is already underwater, isn't this an unrealistic oxy-moron?
That is why the original Neely opted out of Season 9 though. The storyline and scripts for her and Mitch changed - she didn't like it - so she left, and then they brought back Jennifer Campbell to play Neely.
Haha when ever Baywatch did anything like that I kind of ignore the science behind it. I love Baywatch for the simple that it was pure 90s and innocent.
shareI don't know.
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