Scheana Shay Reveals How Her ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Ban Was Lifted: ‘I Was Terrified to Go Back’
Scheana Shay's ban from Dancing With the Stars has been lifted just in time for her to see Ariana Madix potentially bring home the mirrorball trophy.
"My bestie is on Dancing With the Stars and she is crushing it," Shay, 37, said during the Friday, November 3, episode of her "Scheananigans" podcast before digging into her past drama with the dance competition show. "For those of you who didn't hear about that, long story short, five years ago I had a weed pen in my purse."
The Vanderpump Rules star recalled being flagged at the time, adding, "They said I couldn't bring marijuana onto federal property and they took my ID and put me in their system. They said I was banned, and I thought it was a lifetime ban to never come back."
Shay, however, was able to attend a taping during Teresa Giudice's DWTS stint on season 31.
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Shay spoke with a security guard who confirmed the ban wasn't as permanent as she originally assumed, adding, "I now found out it was only a 90-day ban, so I could have been going back but I was terrified to go."
After gaining access last year, Shay expected to be let in without a problem for season 32. There was no issue the first time she attended to show support for Madix, 38. Shay noted she went through the lot instead of the gate, which meant the guard only looked at a list and not their computer system.
By the third week, however, Shay was once again questioned for being on a list of people banned from entering. She was able to speak with a supervisor who permanently fixed the issue from happening again.
"Week 4, I come back and it is lifted. They finally did it. I am free to go back to Dancing With the Stars whenever," Shay shared with her listeners.
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The reality star previously made several visits to the Dancing With the Stars studio. In 2013, Shay was in the audience cheering on former SUR boss Lisa Vanderpump and pro partner Gleb Savchenko. Shay also attended the season 31 finale last year with Giudice, 51.
Shay later addressed what led to her being blacklisted.
“In 2018, I go with my mom to see Dancing With the Stars. When we checked in, they found a weed pen in my purse," she recalled during a December 2022 episode of her podcast. “Apparently, once you cross the gates at the CBS lot, it’s, like, private federal property, and I brought drugs onto that property. At the time, I had my medical card. They didn’t care. They took my ID, they said, ‘Don’t ever come back.’ So, I have not tried to go until this season.”
Shay attempted to work around the ban by having a contestant vouch for her.
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“So Teresa goes home after, like, two weeks [during season 31], but for the finale, she’s like, ‘You and Brock [Davies] should come.’ Now, I don’t tell Teresa that I might not be allowed on the lot again, but Teresa’s like, ‘Don’t worry, I got your name down, you’re good to go,’” Shay recalled. “We walk up to the gate, the guy is looking at my ID."
She added: "He looks up, he’s like, ‘Hold on.’ And the guy’s like, ‘I don’t really know how to say this to you, but your name matches the name of someone who’s not allowed on the property. So, my supervisor’s gonna come over and have a talk with you.’”
While telling the story, Shay joked that she was known as "the marijuana girl" on the lot. "I’m like, ‘No f–king way.' I am actually still blacklisted from Dancing With the Stars!"
Shay has celebrated getting her ban lifted this year by attending several shows as Madix's guest. Her costar continues to lead the scoreboard every week alongside partner Pasha Pashkov.
