Eleniak had several small roles in television. She played Stephanie Curtis, Scott Baio's on-screen girlfriend in Charles in Charge (and was also his off-screen girlfriend), and Jamie Coburn in Broken Angel. In 1989 Eleniak decided that appearing in Playboy would help boost her career, and Ferguson put her in contact with a Playboy photographer. Playboy featured her on two covers and later as the centerfold in the July 1989 issue. After an audition and three call backs, Eleniak won a role in Baywatch as Shauni McClain. Eleniak was the lead female character for three seasons until Pamela Anderson replaced her in 1992. While working on the series, Eleniak became romantically involved with Billy Warlock, who played Eddie Kramer, her character's boyfriend. He was the reason why Eleniak ended up leaving the show after only two seasons and 2 episodes of season 3. The two announced their engagement in 1993, but the relationship didn't last due to Warlock's jealous nature - he later confessed in an interview: "I can't bear anyone else to see her body". She also played the high-school girlfriend of Jesse (John Stamos) in a November 1990 episode of Full House.

In 1992, Eleniak returned to film acting, playing Jordan Tate, a Playboy Playmate hired to do a striptease for the captain of a U.S. Navy ship, in Under Siege, a film that was one of the year's biggest hits. In the film, she is described as "Jordan Tate, Miss July 1989"—which is the month that Eleniak was Playmate of the Month. She plays a character that is supposed to be purely decorative but is actually intelligent, brave, and resourceful.

She attempted to capitalize on this success by starring as Elly May Clampett in the screen adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies in 1993, but the film flopped. The next year she starred in the Dennis Hopper-directed romantic comedy Chasers. William McNamara, one of her costars in this film, also became her partner in life. Eleniak went on to shoot another movie with McNamara, Girl in the Cadillac (1995). The two were engaged but never married. Eleniak also starred in an interactive game during 1995; she played identical twins in Panic in the Park (1995). She continued to make more independent films including A Pyromaniac's Love Story (1995), Bordello of Blood (1996) and Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave (1997). Eleniak has starred in a host of films, including The Pandora Project (1998) with Daniel Baldwin, One Hot Summer Night (1998) with Barry Bostwick, Final Voyage (1999) with Ice-T, Stealth Fighter (1999), The Opponent (2000), Vegas, City of Dreams (2001) with Angelica Bridges, Second to Die (2002), Snowbound (2001), Betrayal (2003) and Shakedown (2002).

• Just a Story (2009) (pre-production) .... Aunt Kristin
  ... aka Buds (USA: new title)
  
• Imps* (2009) .... Brooke (segment "Jeans")
• Fatal Reunion (2005) (V) .... Jessica Hartley Landers
• Absolute Zero (2005) (TV) .... Bryn
• Dracula 3000 (2004) (TV) .... Aurora Ash
• Fatal Lessons: The Good Teacher (2004) (TV) .... Victoria Paige
• Brilliant (2004) .... Ricky Smith
• Caught in the Headlights (2004) .... Kate Parker
• The Librarians (2003) .... Sandi Miller
  ... aka Strike Force (USA: DVD title)
• Betrayal (2003) .... Emily Shaw
  ... aka Lady Jayne: Killer (USA: DVD title)
• Shakedown (2002) (V) .... Julie Hayes
• He Sees You When You're Sleeping (2002) (TV) .... Annie Campbell
  ... aka Mary Higgins Clark's He Sees You When You're Sleeping (USA: complete title)
• Christmas Rush (2002) (TV) .... Catherine 'Cat' Morgan
  ... aka Breakaway (USA: video title)
• Second to Die (2002) .... Sara Morgan Bratchett Scucello
• Snowbound (2001) .... Barbara Cates
  ... aka Tempête de neige (Canada: French title)
  ... aka White Lies (Canada: English title)
• Vegas, City of Dreams (2001) .... Katherine Garrett
• The Opponent (2000) .... Patty