If you’ve spent any time in the Bravo universe, you know the name Scheana Shay. Long before she was obsessing over crop tops or her husband Brock’s "karma," she was the face that launched Vanderpump Rules. But the way she actually got there? It wasn't through a standard casting call. It was because of a messy, multi-year saga with actor Eddie Cibrian.
People still argue about this in Reddit threads today. Honestly, the timeline is a bit of a headache.
It’s 2006. Scheana is 21, fresh out of college, and working at a high-end cigar lounge in Beverly Hills. Enter Eddie Cibrian. He’s the guy from Sunset Beach and CSI: Miami—tall, dimples, the whole nine yards. According to Scheana’s 2025 memoir, My Good Side, she was smitten the second they made eye contact.
The "Weekly Booty Call" Era
They didn’t start dating seriously right away. It began as what she calls a "weekly booty call." Every Tuesday, after his poker game at the lounge, they’d go out for drinks and then head back to her place.
She’s adamant about one thing: she had no idea he was married to Brandi Glanville.
This was the mid-2000s. We’re talking Palm Treos and Razr phones. No Instagram. No TikTok. Scheana claims she didn't even own a laptop to Google him. She saw a handsome actor who didn't wear a wedding ring and took her out in public to places like Les Deux. If he was hiding a wife and kids, he wasn't doing a very good job of acting like it.
💡 You might also like: Danny DeVito Wife Height: What Most People Get Wrong
The relationship eventually got deeper. He helped her move. He met her mom. He even took her out on his boat at Castaic Lake. For a girl in her early 20s trying to make it in LA, it felt like a dream.
That Awkward Jesse Metcalfe Detour
Somewhere in 2007, things got weird. Scheana actually took a break from Eddie to date Jesse Metcalfe—yes, the gardener from Desperate Housewives. She says they grew apart because he was focused on his sobriety and she was, well, 21. After that fizzled out, she went right back to Eddie.
When the Reality Hit
The bubble burst when a regular at the cigar lounge pulled her aside. They told her Eddie was married. When she confronted him, he allegedly gaslit her, calling the rumor "insane."
Then came the morning her mom called.
Her mom had picked up a newspaper and saw that Eddie and Brandi were expecting their second child. That was the "oh crap" moment. Even then, Scheana admits she stayed in the "don't ask, don't tell" zone for a while longer. She wanted to believe his lies about being separated.
📖 Related: Mara Wilson and Ben Shapiro: The Family Feud Most People Get Wrong
It only ended for good when the world found out Eddie was also having an affair with country star LeAnn Rimes on the set of a Lifetime movie. Scheana wasn't the only mistress; she was just one of many.
The Sit-Down Heard 'Round the World
Fast forward to the first season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Lisa Vanderpump decides to bring Scheana—who was working at SUR at the time—to a party where Brandi Glanville is a guest.
It was brutal television.
Scheana sat across from the woman whose marriage she helped dismantle and cried about how Eddie broke her heart. She even talked about the diamond earrings he bought her. Brandi, to her credit, handled it with a mix of venom and pity. She famously called Scheana a "mistress waitress."
Years later, Brandi actually thanked Scheana in a weird way. She said that finding out about the "other" women like Scheana "saved" her because it gave her the final push to leave a serial cheater.
👉 See also: How Tall is Tim Curry? What Fans Often Get Wrong About the Legend's Height
Why we’re still talking about Eddie Cibrian and Scheana Shay
The story has staying power because it’s the ultimate "small world" Hollywood crossover. It’s the bridge between Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rules. Without this affair, Scheana might never have been the focal point of that pilot episode.
What most people get wrong:
- The duration: It wasn't a one-night stand. It was an on-and-off thing that lasted nearly two years.
- The intent: Fans often accuse Scheana of "climbing" to fame through the affair, but in 2006, she was just a waitress at a cigar lounge. The TV cameras didn't show up until years later.
- The resolution: Surprisingly, Brandi and Scheana have actually hung out and taken selfies together in recent years. They bonded over the fact that Eddie was the common denominator in their trauma.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the early 2000s reality TV lore, keep an eye on the old RHOBH Season 2 episodes. The tension in those scenes isn't scripted; it’s years of tabloid headlines finally colliding in a Beverly Hills backyard.
For those following the current drama, the best next step is to look at the timeline of Scheana’s 2025 memoir releases, as it provides the most "unfiltered" (or at least her version of unfiltered) account of the dates and specific public sightings that Eddie supposedly brushed off during their time together.