One of the best things about summer time is watching beautiful women wearing sexy swimwear. And if the women happen to be some of our favorite TV personalities, that's even better.
There's also a long TV tradition of finding of finding an excuse to get the leading ladies into bikinis whenever possible. And sometimes the women make such an impression that they even go on to become iconic sex symbols.
Crave Online has recently reexamined several popular women who established themselves on television to determine our Top Ten TV Babes of Summer. There are several icons on the list and a few who might go on to achieve that status. And there are a few who fell just... a little short.
Also, there are no reality stars on this list! There are, however, at least two reporters.
Sure, you could call this list fan service. But we prefer to think of it as "knowing what you like."
10. Erika Eleniak
Erika Eleniak was the Pamela Anderson before Pamela Anderson, as well as one of the original babes on "Baywatch." She actually played the female lead (Shauni McClain) on the show for three seasons before being replaced by Anderson. Eleniak's film career peaked in the mid-'90s with "Under Siege," "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Chasers." But for three years, she was the hottest girl on TV.
The "Baywatch" producers must have been crazy to let Eleniak go so easily! She really filled out a swimsuit.
And she actually wasn't that bad of an actress.
9. Vanessa Angel
I've never understood why Vanessa Angel wasn't able to hang on to her popularity. She's obviously beautiful and she was actually very funny in "Kingpin." And she had a memorable run as Lisa on the USA Network adaptation of "Weird Science," back when cable didn't have much in the way of original programming!
Angel just missed having a big break early in her career when she was cast as Xena in a guest appearance on "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" but was forced to leave the role after an injury; leaving the door open for Lucy Lawless to take the role and become an icon herself. Angel even alluded to this in her guest spot on "Entourage" playing herself a few years ago. And she was still pretty funny!
If she had been Xena, she probably would have made it a lot higher on this list.
8. Catherine Bach
If you've only seen the horrible "Dukes of Hazzard" remake, then you haven't really seen the real Daisy Duke, a role made famous by Catherine Bach.
Bach was a dominate sex symbol back in the '80s thanks to her role in the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV series and her frequently revealing outfits. Her style of "short shorts" are so associated with her character, that they are still called "Daisy Dukes" even today!
And yes, she looked terrific in that red bikini. Too bad she only wore it twice on the show...
7. Jules Asner
As an entertainment reporter, Jules Asner is probably the dark horse on this list. She's largely retired from TV, but back in the early 2000s she was everywhere on E!; with a long stint as the host of "Wild On."
Asner stood out from all of the pretty faces on E!, with her sharp personality and her gorgeous body. While hosting "Wild On," she frequently wore only bikinis, which had to have helped the ratings.
Since leaving TV, Asner has written a novel and married director Steven Soderbergh; which might be his most impressive achievement. And he's a great filmmaker too!
Is there any bigger geek fantasy than marrying a girl like this?
6. Olivia Munn
Current geek goddess, Olivia Munn made her name as the hostess of G4's "Attack of the Show," after some small roles in films like "Scarecrow Gone Wild" and "The Road to Canyon Lake."
Munn's initial surge of popularity came from the fact that she was beautiful and could talk about geek stuff. However, she appears poised for bigger things and recently joined "The Daily Show" as a corespondent.
No less than Robert Downey Jr. has praised Munn's comedy and improv skills during her time on "Iron Man 2." If Munn hasn't achieved iconic status yet, she's well on her way...
5. Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson ruled the '90s. There's no disputing that.
During her five years on "Baywatch" she became a genuine sex symbol and helped maintain the show's popularity around the world. Afterwards, she even went on to star in her own TV series, called "VIP."
Anderson's film career never really took off — among others, she starred in the adaptation of the "Barb Wire" comic. But she's still basically hanging around today on the strength of her domination of the '90s.
After seeing so many actresses fall off the radar following their first wave of success, her longevity is impressive in of itself.
4. Yasmine Bleeth
Which brings us to Yasmine Bleeth, the only actress on "Baywatch" who was arguably even hotter than Pam Anderson herself.
Bleeth was definitely gorgeous, but she was never able to parlay her fame into lasting success. Sure, she made "BASEketball" opposite the "South Park" guys, but not much else. Her biggest post "Baywatch" role was a two year stint on "Nash Bridges" opposite Don Johnson.
But that's not what makes Bleeth a cautionary tale. By her own admission, Bleeth's career was largely derailed by substance abuse. I'll spare you from posting her mug shot, which showed the heavy toll the abuse took on her body. It ain't pretty...
And I'd much rather remember her this way.
3. Jessica Alba
I'll admit, this is a bit of a cheat, as the only time I recall Jessica Alba wearing a bikini on TV was during her "Flipper" days, and that doesn't count. But Alba did get her first big break as the star of James Cameron's sci-fi TV series, "Dark Angel," which ran for two years on Fox.
Since she left TV, Alba has starred in numerous films, including "Fantastic Four," "The Eye," "Into The Blue," "Honey" and "Sin City." She has also become much, much hotter than she was before.
So for bending the rules slightly to get her on the list, I say "You're welcome."
2. Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter was TV's first "Wonder Woman." But don't look for the pics of her in costume. It's ugly and it doesn't really show you just how beautiful that she was.
Close... but not quite enough. I'm gonna need to show you one more.
That's it.
Needless to say, Carter was a sex symbol in the '70s despite her ugly Wonder Woman outfit. Or maybe because of it, (it was the '70s, after all). But of all the actresses on this list, Carter's career is perhaps the most impressive. She seems to have found no trouble finding work over the years, and some of her most recent appearances include "Smallville," "Law & Order" and the film "Sky High."
1. Kristen Bell
I have to admit, even I was surprised that Kristen Bell topped this list. But the reason why became more clear as we went over the final notes.
She made her name on TV as a hot nerd girl on "Veronica Mars." Check.
Wore a bikini on TV. Check. Thank you, "Heroes!" (Although, the pic below is from one of her movies)
And she even wore a Princess Leia Slave Girl outfit in "Fanboys"?
Gentlemen, we've got a winner here.
Bell may not have achieved total super-stardom yet, but she's on her way with a successful movie career and even voice-acting roles in "Gossip Girl" and the "Assassin's Creed" video game series.
Hell, Bell could top this list in the fall, spring and winter. It doesn't matter!
Sooner or later, she'll reach iconic status too.
