The Baywatch Legend You Likely Didn't Know Was A Price Is Right Model
"The Price Is Right" has served as a cultural touchstone to multiple generations of Americans since its premiere in 1956. Indeed, not only is the current version of the series the longest-running game show on television (via CBS), but its unique format is one of the most recognizable displays in modern American culture. Ever since Bob Barker took over as host of the revamped edition in 1972, the series has invited members of a studio audience to guess the prices of various merchandise in attempts to win cash prizes, appliances, and luxury vacations.
Although Drew Carey now hosts the show, very little about "The Price is Right" has changed in the last five decades. From the lore of the "Big Wheel" to the host's pet-centric signoff, the series doesn't really look all that different than it did when Barker began hosting. Another staple of "The Price Is Right" is the group of models who show off the bevy of prizes. Formerly known as "Barker's Beauties," the rotating cast of women has been the lifeblood of "The Price Is Right" since the 1950s, despite behind-the-camera challenges that included allegations of discrimination and wrongful termination (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Over its decades-long run, "The Price Is Right" has employed dozens of models, actresses, and beauty queens. Only one "Price Is Right" model, however, would go on to star as a series regular in "Baywatch."
Gena Lee Nolin got her start as a Price Is Right model
A native of Duluth, Minnesota, Gena Lee Nolin joined "The Price Is Right" as a model in 1994 (via PhoenixMag). Though her tenure on the series was brief in comparison to some of the other "Price Is Right" models, she appeared in over 200 episodes between 1994 and 1995, gleefully modeling jet skis, jacuzzis, and exercise bikes (via IMDb). However, by the time the model's final episode of the game show aired in December 1995, she had already secured a coveted role in a decidedly different series.
For most of the world, "Baywatch" was already a cultural phenomenon by the time Nolin joined in September 1995. For over a decade, the famed lifeguard series combined the most popular elements of soap operas, thrillers, and procedural dramas with the beautiful scenery on the coasts of California and Hawaii. The series also made David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson household names.
Originally played by the actress Heather Campbell, Neely Capshaw had a rocky start on "Baywatch," immediately clashing with Matt (David Charvet) and C.J. (Anderson). When Nolin took over the role at the start of Season 6, Neely still had a bad-girl reputation on the series. However, over the course of Nolin's three seasons on "Baywatch," her character developed into a good-hearted lifeguard and love interest to Mitch (Hasselhoff). In 1998, Nolin departed the series to star in her own show, "Sheena" (via IMDb).
Of course, Nolin is hardly the only notable actress to get her start as a model in a game show. Long before she took on the title of Duchess of Sussex, former "Suits" actress Meghan Markle appeared as a model on "Deal or No Deal" (via Insider).