Phila. meets Hollywood as 'Baywatch' comes to U.

Two Penn students won free trips to California and chances to appear on the hit TV show. and Chris Chang Superblock became a showcase for budding TV stars yesterday afternoon, as more than 100 Penn students and Philadelphia residents competed to earn a spot on the popular television show Baywatch. The event -- coordinated by the Baywatch search team, local television station WB17 and the American Marketing Association's Wharton chapter -- was designed to select one male and one female from Penn's campus to compete to appear in one episode of the hit series. Wharton senior Maria Mandel, the founding president of the AMA, said promotion of the event -- which will be replicated at 25 universities across the country -- went extremely well. "Some people had a negative impression of what it takes to be on Baywatch," Mandel said. "Nonetheless, we had 150 Penn students sign up for the competition and a lot of non-students signed up on the spot." Mandel also noted that the search, which was also held in 1996, was a good example of the AMA's efforts to "have fun" with marketing and promotion. Of the Penn students who signed up, many said they had different opinions about the show and various reasons for trying out. "I think it's a great show. I especially like David Hasselhoff," said College sophomore Alan Lowinger. "He's always surrounded by chicks, even though he's a lot older." College senior Marisa Engel, on the other hand, said she rarely watches the series and thought it was just some show "to make guys horny." "I think it would be hysterical if I got on the show," Engel said. "Plus, it would be fun to do some acting." Everyone who tried out had to survive three rounds of competition. First, each contestant spoke for 10 minutes about why he or she should be on the show. In the second round, they needed to respond to questions and requests from a panel of judges. Finally, the remaining 10 people read parts of an actual Baywatch script. Baywatch actress and Elite model Angelica Bridges -- who plays Lt. Taylor Walsh on the show -- made an appearance as the star judge on the panel. Other judges included WB17 sports anchor Michael Bridges, weather anchor Julie Bologna and Q102 radio station's Joe Mamma. Bridges explained that she and the other judges were looking for people who have a lot of personality, are out-going and can really "be themselves." "And they also need to know how to swim," she added. After much deliberation, the judges selected College junior Julie Marx and College senior Drew Corradini as the winners. "I just did it to have fun," said Marx, who "rescued" a judge while running in slow motion for the judges during the second round. "I figured they would pick some voluptuous blonde." Corradini entered the contest because his friends decided it was "right up [his] alley," since he is a self-proclaimed "beach bum" from Miami. "I was so surprised I won," said the Penn baseball team's centerfielder. "There were actors and models there, and I'm just a student." Corradini had to use his best Simpsons' voice to explain the theory of relativity to the judges during the second round. Marx and Corradini will go on an all expense-paid trip to California sometime in August for the national finals.

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