This 'Vanderpump Rules' star had a secret to rival 'Scandoval'
A head-scratching affair between Tom Sandoval and Rachel (formerly Raquel) Leviss during Season 10 of Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules" in 2023 tore the cast apart. One of said Bravo-lebrities, Scheana Shay, was best friends with Sandoval's girlfriend at the time, Ariana Madix. The gang grew recognizable overnight. Hero and villain narratives sprouted like giant beanstalks. Anyone who dared challenge the prevailing narrative faced the wrath of a ravenous cancel culture.
So when Shay showed Sandoval friendship the season after the Tom/Rachel/Ariana mess, viewers raised eyebrows. What kind of friend makes nice with the man who broke her friend's heart?
Shay shares her side of the story in "My Good Side" (out now from Grand Central Publishing), which traces the Californian's childhood to her relationship with actor Eddie Cibrian and of course, her "Vanderpump Rules" trials and tribulations. But like any reality TV story, all is not what it seems.
"I have always felt a calling to just share my lived experiences with the world, and I think that's why I love doing reality TV," Shay tells USA TODAY over a video call from New York. "But with doing reality TV, you only see one side. You only see parts of me, and this book shows all of me, the good side, the other side and everything in between."
Scheana Shay says 'I didn't deserve the betrayal or the labels'
Shay began her "Vanderpump Rules" journey as a Los Angeles waitress who dated Cibrian while he was married to "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Brandi Glanville. (Cibrian is currently married to singer LeAnn Rimes.)
Shay claims Cibrian gaslit her, insisting he wasn't married at the time. "I do wish that I questioned it more," Shay says. "That would have saved me a lot of heartache and embarrassment." Much like Hester Prynne, she said she felt the world slapped a big "scarlet letter" across her. Now, Shay dusts her shoulders off.
"I didn't deserve the betrayal or the labels, and I feel like I'm finally done carrying shame that isn't mine," she adds.
The reality star faced many heartbreaks in her life, from a friend's death by suicide to a miscarriage to the traumatic birth of her now 4-year-old daughter Summer Moon. Shay was diagnosed with preeclampsia and later HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count) and later postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder. She shares her daughter with husband Brock Davies, who dealt her yet another heartbreak.
Scheana Shay finds 'strength in staying' and 'strength in leaving' after cheating
Shay revealed toward the end of her memoir that in the wake of "Scandoval," Davies admitted cheating on her two years earlier while she was pregnant. Yes, reality shows give us an inside look at people's lives, but Shay chose to keep the truth about her marriage from nearly everyone while filming of Season 11.
"I don't think our marriage was in a place where it could have survived that on that season," she says. "I'm glad that I kept that to myself for as long as I did, because it gave us a chance to really work on our marriage, for us, not for anyone else or anyone else's opinions."
Shay walked a difficult tightrope: Should she support Ariana Madix full-stop, only later to seem like a hypocrite when news of her own relationship drama broke? Should she tell all and be slammed with opportunist accusations? Or should she try to play both sides?
Madix "had every right to carry that narrative out. The focus needed to be on her. I also was still processing what I was going through. I was being very thoughtful about my daughter and how this could affect her, and I felt like at the time, I was not ready to open up about this," Shay says.
Shay found strength in forgiveness: "I feel like there's strength in staying, there's strength in leaving and I needed to make the decision that was going to be best for my family and figure out if I'm capable of forgiveness."
"As crazy as it sounds, I do trust him again, and I genuinely believe – and I'm sure people will say I'm naive – but I genuinely believe that he would never do this again, because he knows I would light him on fire and kick him out of the house."
Scheana Shay believes in 'not letting your past define your future'
Shay's manager introduced her to kintsugi, a Japanese art that pieces broken pottery back together using special gold paste to create something new and whole. Her single, "Good as Gold," is a nod to the practice and holds a deeper meaning about embracing our humanity. It's the ethos of her book: "turning pain into strength, scars into stories, and not letting your past define your future."
Her future includes her podcast and YouTube channel, and perhaps a bigger role on "Vanderpump Rules" spinoff "The Valley," where she recurs. The original series will include a new cast for upcoming Season 12.
If audiences learned anything, though, never count out a Scheana-ssance.
"Whatever show it is, I will be on your TV screens," she says. "Not going anywhere."
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