TV SERIES · 1994– · USA
Thunder in Paradise
19 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (19)
- #001
In an interview, Hulk Hogan said he could not keep the Thunder Scarab boat on screen but had only one built. Hogan said he made that decision while undergoing heavy medication following a surgery.
- #002
Chris Lemmon believes that his decision to work on this series was the reason casting directors stopped hiring him and effectively ended his acting career.
- #003
Hulk Hogan parted ways with the World Wrestling Federation to shoot this series. As a result of shooting Thunder in Paradise at Disney's sound studio next to the MGM Studios, Hulk landed his job in World Championship Wrestling. According to Ric Flair, WCW President Eric Bischoff asked Flair to arrange a meeting with Hogan. Flair and Bischoff visited Hulk in the swampy area of St. Petersburg, where Hogan was shooting a scene for Thunder in Paradise, and held the meeting in Hulk's trailer. When Bischoff told Hogan how much money the Turner organization was prepared to pay him to work for WCW, Hulk immediately accepted WCW's offer and decided he had a demanding enough shooting schedule for Thunder in Paradise.
- #004
Several of Hulk Hogan's wrestling colleagues appear throughout the series, including Jimmy Hart (Jammin' Jimmy), Ed Leslie (Brutus/The Beast), Jim Neidhart (Norman Kowalski), Jorge Gonzáles (Terremoto/Mortador), Ray Hernandez (Herc), Fred Ottman (Youssef), Steve Keirn (Leavit), Terry Funk (Amarillo Doaks) and Steve Borden (Hammerhead).
- #005
The series pilot was co-financed by CBS and the Italian production company Reteitalia, which spent three and a half million dollars on the pilot. CBS chose to wait for the pilot to be finished before deciding whether to air more episodes. Reteitalia, trusting the team made up of the Baywatch producers and star Hulk Hogan, immediately decided to air thirteen more episodes while filming of the pilot was still ongoing. After watching the completed pilot, CBS executives committed to only six more episodes, not thinking the series would do well. Since such a deal would mean a very long wait between seasons, the producers rejected CBS's offer and instead went the syndication distribution route that had proven successful with Baywatch.
- #006
Hulk Hogan worked with the producers of Baywatch (1989) on the production of this series.
- #007
The Scarab boat used in the series was bought by Richard Hammond and used in the Grand Tour special 'Seaman'. That episode was released on Amazon Prime on 13 December 2019. Jeremy Clarkson jokingly renamed the boat 'Jizzle Drizzle'.
- #008
Production took place at Disney's Hollywood (formerly MGM) Studios near Orlando, where the main filming location was Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World Resort. Other filming locations at Walt Disney World included Disney's Old Key West Resort, Fort Wilderness Campground and EPCOT Center.
- #009
Between the filming of the pilot and the series, the character of Jessica was recast because the producers decided the original actress was no longer suitable for the role.
- #010
This series was featured in an episode of the Disney Channel reality series Walt Disney World Inside Out (1994), in which Hogan ate lunch with host Scott Herriott at a Moroccan restaurant.
- #011
Hulk Hogan, who traveled constantly throughout his wrestling career, had a single condition for making this series: that the pilot be shot in his hometown of Clearwater, Florida. The producers agreed, and Hogan agreed.
- #012
Before it was cancelled, Hulk Hogan considered relaunching the series under a new title, "Thunderforce", with himself, Sting (Steve Borden), Mr. T and Cynthia Rothrock in the main cast.
- #013
Two different hotels were used as the filming locations for Whitaker's hotel. The Don Cesar Hotel in St. Petersburg was used in the pilot, while Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World Resort was used for the rest of the series.
- #014
Hulk Hogan and Chris Lemmon are the only actors who appear in every episode.
- #015
Thunder's name was chosen because of Hogan's connection to his favorite NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- #016
Hulk Hogan and Carol Alt appeared as guest hosts promoting this series on the April Fools' Day 1994 edition of Larry King Live (1985), alongside guest host Kermit the Frog. Hogan's meeting with the Muppets there led to Hulk playing a small role in Muppets from Space (1999) several years later.
- #017
A video game of Thunder In Paradise was made for the ill-fated Philips CD-i, featuring full-motion video footage from the series.
- #018
George Foreman was initially offered the role of Bru, but he had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts that prevented him from joining the series.
- #019
Producer Douglas Schwartz is the nephew of Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of Gilligan's Island (1964) and The Brady Bunch (1969).
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