• Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne are reportedly competing to be the breakout star of the upcoming Baywatch reboot
• Nader plays series regular Captain Selene while Dunne appears in just three episodes as junior lifeguard Grace
• A source on set tells TMZ there’s been noticeable “tension” between the two over the Pamela Anderson comparison
• The friction reportedly spilled onto the red carpet at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch event in New York City
• The Fox reboot is set to debut as part of the 2026–2027 season, starring Stephen Amell as Hobie Buchannon

The Baywatch reboot hasn’t even hit screens yet and the drama is already running hot. Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne — two of the new series’ most buzzed-about cast members — are reportedly locked in a quiet but very real competition over who gets to carry Pamela Anderson’s legacy into the next era of the franchise.

A source on set told TMZ that there’s been “tension” between the two women, with conversations about who fills the “Pamela Anderson lane” becoming a recurring topic behind the scenes. Both stars have apparently been openly discussing the “next Pam Anderson” comparison at different points during production — which, as you might imagine, hasn’t exactly made for a breezy set atmosphere.

On paper, Nader has the clearest claim. She plays Selene, the sharp-tongued Captain of the Zuma beach lifeguards, and appears in virtually every episode of the reboot. Dunne, the gymnast-turned-influencer and LSU legend, plays junior lifeguard Grace — but only appears in three episodes. By screen time alone, it’s not close.

But screen time isn’t the whole story. Dunne’s social media reach is staggering, and sources say that influence hasn’t gone unnoticed during filming. When you have millions of followers hanging on your every post, you carry star power into any room — even one where someone else has top billing.

Red Carpet Tension

The behind-the-scenes rivalry reportedly made its way onto the red carpet at the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch party in New York City, where both women appeared together. According to sources, Nader was keenly aware of how the photographers were framing Dunne — and at one point directed the cameras to capture Dunne’s good side while they posed together. Whether that reads as gracious or calculated probably depends on who you ask.

Dunne, for her part, was celebrating a milestone of her own that night. She’s now been featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit for four consecutive years. “The fact that they keep asking me back — I’m just so flattered,” she said at the event, adding that she felt honored to stand alongside the magazine’s other cover girls. Her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, has apparently been her most enthusiastic cheerleader through it all — Dunne told People he always loves seeing her SI Swimsuit photos.

Nader’s connection to that same red swimsuit runs deep too. When she first put on the iconic Baywatch one-piece for the reboot, she told People she was “bawling, crying.” She’d worn a red one-piece on her own Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover, so slipping into it again for the show felt like something bigger than a costume fitting. “It’s such a full-circle moment,” she said. “It’s such a big moment, and I’m so honored to be a part of it.” She even FaceTimed her family in the swimsuit — and they cried too.

What the Reboot Actually Looks Like

The new Baywatch is set to debut on Fox as part of the 2026–2027 season. Stephen Amell leads the cast as Hobie Buchannon, grown up and now carrying on his father Mitch’s lifeguard legacy. The central plot kicks off when a daughter Hobie never knew he had — Charlie, played by Jessica Belkin — shows up at his door and joins the Zuma beach crew. Her arrival also escalates existing tension between Hobie and Nader’s Selene, who runs things her own way and isn’t thrilled about the disruption.

It’s a setup built for drama, both onscreen and apparently off it.

For context on just how massive the shoes being fought over actually are: the original Baywatch reached over one billion weekly viewers at its peak. Pamela Anderson’s C.J. Parker — red swimsuit, slow-motion run, the whole thing — became one of the defining images of 90s pop culture. That kind of legacy doesn’t just sit quietly in the background. It looms.

Anderson herself has had a complicated relationship with the franchise’s revival attempts. When the 2017 Baywatch movie with Dwayne Johnson was in production, she told Variety that producers pressured her to do a cameo for free — framing it as an “homage” — and kept pushing even after she said no. She eventually agreed, but only without dialogue, showing up at the end for a single slow-motion scene. “There was just so much bullying to do it,” she said.

Anderson hasn’t publicly named a successor or weighed in on the reboot’s casting. But with two of the most talked-about women in the country both vying for her crown, it’s safe to say the conversation has already started without her.

The post Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne Are Both Gunning for the Pamela Anderson Spot in Baywatch appeared first on Cream.

• Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne are reportedly competing to become the breakout star of the Baywatch reboot, à la Pamela Anderson
• A source tells TMZ there’s been “tension” between the two, with both women openly discussing the “next Pam Anderson” comparison on set
• Nader appears in virtually every episode as lifeguard captain Selene; Dunne plays junior lifeguard Grace in just three episodes
• The rivalry reportedly spilled onto the red carpet at a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit event, where Nader was seen directing photographers toward Dunne’s angles
• The Baywatch reboot is set to debut as part of Fox’s 2026-2027 season, with a January premiere expected

The Baywatch reboot isn’t even on the air yet, and it’s already delivering drama. Behind the scenes of Fox’s highly anticipated revival, a competition is quietly heating up between two of its most high-profile cast members — Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne — over who gets to inherit the Pamela Anderson lane.

A source on set tells TMZ there’s been “tension” between the two women, with both openly discussing the “next Pam Anderson” comparison at various points during production. Anderson, of course, made her role as C.J. Parker one of the most iconic characters in TV history — the red swimsuit, the slow-motion run, the cultural imprint that lasted decades. At its peak, the original series drew over one billion weekly viewers. The shoes being fought over here are very large ones.

“There’s been some tension between the two,” the source says.

Who Has the Edge?

On paper, Nader has the clearer path. She plays Selene, described as “the sharp-tongued Captain of the Zuma beach lifeguards,” and appears in virtually every episode of the reboot as a season regular. The show follows Hobie Buchannon — played by Stephen Amell — stepping into his father’s legacy, and Selene’s clashing approach to lifeguarding puts her in direct conflict with Hobie from the jump. It’s a meaty, central role, and Nader has made no secret of how much it means to her.

Speaking to People back in March, she described putting on the iconic red one-piece for the first time as a full-on emotional moment. “I was bawling, crying,” she said. “It’s such a full-circle moment” — noting that she’d previously worn a red one-piece on her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover, which made the whole thing feel like “a long time in the making.” She FaceTimed her family in the swimsuit and they burst into tears too. “It’s such a big moment, and I’m so honored to be a part of it,” she gushed.

Dunne, meanwhile, only appears in three episodes as junior lifeguard Grace. But anyone who’s underestimated Livvy Dunne’s reach before has regretted it. The former LSU gymnast-turned-mega-influencer brings a social media army with her everywhere she goes, and that kind of offscreen star power doesn’t just evaporate when the cameras stop rolling — it amplifies everything she does onscreen. Sources say her following hasn’t gone unnoticed during filming.

The Red Carpet Moment That Said Everything

The simmering competition reportedly made its way off set and onto the red carpet at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch party in New York City, where the two appeared together. According to sources, Nader was noticeably tuned in to how photographers were framing Dunne — and at one point directed them to capture her co-star’s good side while they posed together.

It’s a small detail, but it speaks volumes about the awareness both women have of each other’s positioning in this moment.

Both Nader and Dunne have deep ties to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit — another layer to this story that makes the dynamic even more layered. Dunne celebrated four consecutive years featured in the magazine at the launch event, saying, “The fact that they keep asking me back — I’m just so flattered.” Her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, is apparently her biggest fan when it comes to the SI spreads.

Nader, for her part, has been leaning hard into her Baywatch identity. In a recent Instagram dump from a cast dinner, she posed alongside co-stars Shay Mitchell, Dunne, Jessica Belkin, and Hassie Harrison — and announced the show’s January premiere with the caption: “January can’t come soon enough, ok back to saving lives!!”

What Pamela Anderson Actually Thinks of the Baywatch Legacy

Anderson herself has had a complicated relationship with the franchise she helped define. When Paramount revived Baywatch as a 2017 film starring Dwayne Johnson, producers pushed her hard to appear in a cameo — for free, framed as “an homage.” She pushed back, asking to be paid. They kept hounding her until she eventually agreed, but on her terms: no dialogue, just a slow-motion walk-on at the end. She told Variety in 2023 it felt like “so much bullying.”

Anderson hasn’t publicly named a protégé to carry her C.J. Parker torch into this new era — but Nader and Dunne have clearly decided the question is worth competing over themselves.

The Baywatch reboot hits Fox in January 2027. By then, the slow-motion running will be the least competitive thing happening on that beach.

The post Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne Are Both Gunning for the Pamela Anderson Spot in Baywatch appeared first on Cream.

• Brooks Nader’s red mini dress split open at the back just four minutes before the 2026 Fox Upfronts red carpet
• She documented the whole thing on Instagram Stories — torn dress, white lace underwear and all
• Four people sewed her back into the dress in time for her Baywatch reboot red carpet moment
• Nader plays Selene, captain of the Zuma Beach Lifeguards, in the Fox reboot premiering January 2027
• Carmen Electra has already given Nader her seal of approval, telling People, “I do. Absolutely. Yeah.”

Four minutes before she was due on the red carpet at the 2026 Fox Upfronts, Brooks Nader’s dress gave up on her. The back split clean open, exposing her white lace underwear — and instead of panicking, she grabbed her phone.

The 29-year-old model and Baywatch actress shared the evidence straight to her Instagram Stories: a mirror selfie, back to the camera, showing the full extent of the damage. “When you bust out of your dress 4 minutes before showtime!!! Classssssicc,” she wrote over the photo, with two laughing-crying emojis. Very relatable. Very her.

The next story slide? Nader getting sewn back into the tiny red number by what she called “4 earth angels.” Because when you’re Brooks Nader and you’re about to promote a Baywatch reboot on national television, you don’t switch outfits — you get stitched up and walk out.

And walk out she did. Minutes later, Nader was on the carpet in that same form-fitting red halter mini dress — plunging neckline, short hem, legs for days — posing alongside Baywatch co-stars Shay Mitchell, Livvy Dunne, Jessica Belkin, and Hassie Harrison. She completed the look with matching red strappy heels, diamond earrings, and big bouncy curls parted down the middle. The dress, now fully intact, hugged every curve. Nobody would have known.

A ‘Pinch Me Moment’ — Even Before the Dress Drama

The red was intentional. The entire look was a nod to the iconic Baywatch swimsuit, and Nader leaned into that connection hard on the carpet. She plays Selene, captain of the Zuma Beach Lifeguards, in the Fox reboot — and she told Extra it still doesn’t feel completely real.

“I kinda manifested this role with my Sports Illustrated cover in 2023. I was wearing a red one-piece. I was like, ‘This is so Baywatch!’ And lo and behold, here we are,” she said. “It’s a pinch-me moment, and hopefully we make everyone proud.”

She also opened up about how much of herself she’s pouring into the character. “I feel like she was loosely based on myself sometimes! My sisters were like, ‘That’s pretty fitting that you’re feisty and mean.’ But it’s not too hard to play Selene. She’s a fun character to play.”

As for the legacy she’s stepping into — Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Nicole Eggert — Nader isn’t taking it lightly. “It’s such an honor to pay homage to the original series and to the muses of Baywatch. They’ve been on my mood board for as long as I can remember,” she said. And Carmen Electra has already given her blessing, telling People simply: “I do. Absolutely. Yeah.”

The Reboot — and the Backlash

Not everyone has been as warm. When the cast was announced, critics flooded social media, calling it “influencer casting, not acting” and slamming the project as “a JOKE” with an “awful cast.” Nader, Beck, and Dunne all come from the influencer world rather than traditional Hollywood, and that combination rubbed some fans the wrong way.

Nader has addressed it directly. “I think that the times are different, and everyone is so multi-hyphenate now. And you can be both an actor and an influencer and have influence,” she told the Daily Mail in March. “And that’s the beauty of the culture that social media has created.” She argued that having cast members with massive platforms will “only help” the show — and that the ability to “bring a vibe” is its own kind of value.

The reboot, which also stars Stephen Amell as Hobie Buchannon (son of David Hasselhoff’s original character Mitch), has a full ensemble that includes Hassie Harrison, Thaddeus LaGrone, Noah Beck, Shay Mitchell, Livvy Dunne, and Jessica Belkin. David Chokachi is among the original cast members set to return. Production started last month, with the cast already stepping into those signature red swimsuits. The official synopsis promises “adrenaline-fueled rescues, tangled relationships, complicated chemistry and beachside heroics” — now updated for 2027, with 12 episodes set to premiere on Fox in late January.

The original series ran 11 seasons, from 1989 to 1999, and became one of the most-watched shows in the world. This is its first official return to network television since.

As for Nader — she showed up Monday in a dress that literally fell apart, got four people to stitch her back together in under four minutes, and still managed to steal the carpet. Whatever the skeptics think about influencer casting, that kind of composure is hard to fake.

The post Brooks Nader Busts Out of Red Dress Before Baywatch Red Carpet appeared first on Cream.