As the filming of the first season of the “Baywatch” revival came to a close, the producers welcomed a notable guest to the set: Ryder Williams, a 16-year-old rookie lifeguard who gained attention by rescuing a 10-year-old boy from powerful 8-to-10-foot waves and rip currents at a Santa Cruz beach.
Williams and his parents were invited to the Fox lot in Century City just in time for the final day of production for the upcoming Fox series, scheduled to premiere in early 2027. The cast and crew honored Williams, with series star Stephen Amell presenting him with a Season 1 “Baywatch” crew jacket.
“’Baywatch’ is all about the bravery and selflessness Ryder brought to the beach in Santa Cruz,” said executive producer and showrunner Matt Nix. “We’re honored to have a real-life hero with us on set.”
The original “Baywatch” was the creation of lifeguard Greg Bonann, who is also an executive producer on the Fox revival. Bonann stated, “‘Baywatch’ has always celebrated the real men and women who dedicate themselves to protecting the lives of others. 16-year-old rookie lifeguard Ryder Williams has just reminded all of us why that mission matters. His visit today to the Baywatch set has inspired our whole cast and crew and given all of us a glimpse of what a real-life hero looks like.”
In the group photo above, Williams is seen in his new jacket alongside cast and crew members, including David Chokachi, Amell, Livvy Dunne, Luke Eisner, Jessica Belkin, Kylar Miranda, Kai Moya, Shay Mitchell, Ashley Moore, Thaddeus LaGrone, and Noah Beck.
Williams’ rescue, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media, marked his first-ever save as a lifeguard. Impressively, he went on to make four additional rescues that same day.
“He risked his life to save my child going into that water and those tumultuous conditions and getting thrown under is incredibly dangerous,” said Sumit Rai, the father of the 10-year-old, told NBC Bay Area. “It’s incredibly courageous, brave, heroic and resilient. Had he let go of him, this would have been a different outcome.”
Here’s video of the “Baywatch” stars and producers presenting Williams with the jacket gift:
