When she was as young as 8, Shana became interested in television. She would sit in front of the TV for hours, watching and analyzing the news and the anchors. It was obvious to her that she wanted to be a television news reporter.

In high school, she became more interested in sports. Not only was she a cheerleader, but she also became a champion in both lacrosse and field hockey. After graduation, she enrolled in New Jersey's Burlington County College in order to study broadcast journalism, still holding on to her childhood dream.

But then, only 18 years old, she came to the realization that she had the kind of body most men fantasize about. So she began modeling in her free time. However, her studies soon took a backseat to her newfound interest.

It didn't take long for Shana to show up on the radar of Ray Manzella, the talent agent who built careers for babes such as Vanna White, Jenny McCarthy and Pamela Anderson. He helped her along and in a short time she was off, modeling in Milan.

Before long, Hiatt got more modeling gigs in Europe, walking the catwalks of Spain and France. This was a blessing for Shana, as she had always loved to travel.

Upon her return to the U.S., she signed up to participate in the Hawaiian Tropic pageant. The experience she had gathered in the past months paid off and she was crowned Miss Hawaiian Tropic USA.

This was followed by an appearance in the April 1995 issue of Play..boy magazine. Not only was she part of the "Girls of Hawaiian Tropic" spread, she made the bunny mag's cover. This was a great companion piece for the Play..boy video The Girls of Hawaiian Tropic: Naked in Paradise, which was released in 1994 and featured the likes of Sung Hi Lee and Angel Boris.

Then, after posing for the cover of Muscle Media magazine, Shana continued making appearances for Hawaiian Tropic. She was in Hawaii to attend a fundraiser for battered women shelters when she met actor James Van Patten, the son of funnyman Dick Van Patten, who's best remembered for the TV series Eight Is Enough.

There was an instant connection between James and Shana, and they soon married. He also encouraged her to follow up on her desire to appear in front of the camera. She didn't waste any time and soon had a bit part in The Flunky (2000), a little-seen comedy starring James Van Patten, Gena Lee Nolin, and Farrah Fawcett.

She was next cast as a stripper in a 2000 episode of Aaron Spelling's short-lived drama Titans. She also got small roles in The Fourth Tenor (2002) with Rodney Dangerfield, Cupids (2003), and Bill the Intern (2003).

But these jobs weren't fulfilling for Shana. What she really wanted to do was work in entertainment news. She got her chance when she was on Dish on Demand and landed a guest hosting spot on E!'s Wild On; she got to work in South Africa with Brooke Burke.

After being a Keystone Light girl in 2002, she got her big break when she answered a casting call for a new series on the Travel Channel called World Poker Tour, which debuted in 2003. Even though the show's host was her brother-in-law Vincent Van Patten, word has it she got the job on her own merits.

Her job on the show involved traveling around the world, giving viewers a tour of casinos, and interviewing world-famous poker players. This again suited her love for travel. Her involvement has led to her becoming the official spokesperson for PartyPoker.com, the world's largest online multiplayer poker room.

In addition, Shana hosts a weekly high-stakes celebrity poker match at the prestigious Beverly Hills club, The Grand Havana Room.

Currently enjoying life to the fullest, Shana shares a home with her husband and her dogs in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.