| “ | And I'm all like, "fucking save it bitch, I'm already rich and beautiful. Also, you have a giant fucking forehead". | ” |
|---|---|---|
| —Episode 67 | ||
Shay Van Buren is a popular student at Overland Park High School. Her family is very popular as well, and are considered Overland Park socialites. Her older sister, Cameron, was Head Cheerleader and the most popular girl in Overland Park history. Her little sister, Mikayla, is the most popular girl at Meadowlane Elementary School. She became Head Cheerleader after Mackenzie invited her to join the Cheer Squad, but quit when the hard work and having to deal with Brittnay caught up with her.
Her family is known for getting the title of Head Cheerleader, and Shay, until Episode 40, had been the only Van Buren not to carry the title; however, when a desperate Mackenzie asks her to join the cheer squad, she accepts on the condition that she can be Head Cheerleader, to which Mackenzie reluctantly agrees.
Personality
Shay, compared to the other main characters, is often shown to be well-mannered towards those she is friendly and neutral towards, and is classy compared to the foul-mouthed cheerleaders Mackenzie and Brittnay.
When things don't go her way, or if something bad happens, she is shown to be exceptionally whiny and over dramatic, probably due to her rich upbringing.
She is also shown to be self-centered in some instances, asking for a TV producer to make a show about her life. Nevertheless, Shay is a civil person but is quick to make snarky comments to others.
Appearance
Mattel 2011 Barbie Fashionistas Clutch Summer doll wearing a leopard print dress that was swapped out to dress Bridget Tice.
Biography
When Shay was in the third grade she was good friends with both Rachel Tice and Mackenzie Zales and Brittnay Matthews, later on. However, the friendship ended after Mackenzie was named Head Cheerleader and Rachel Tice ate a roly polly. During this period, she also had her head shaved because she had gotten lice.
During her high school years, she is still seen as popular but not as popular as the cheer squad. Shay, still believing the spot of Head Cheerleader belongs to her, pulls pranks on the cheer squad to get back at Mackenzie. Her two other sisters help her when she needs as they also believe she should be the Head Cheerleader rather than Mackenzie.
When she learned that Mackenzie and Justin Michaelson were spotted making out, she quickly spread the news around school (and to Deandra) that she was cheating on her then boyfriend Steven Carmichael or that they had broken up. She then over heard Mackenzie calling her a "Fucking Liar" and demanded an apology or else her older sister Cameron and her younger sister Mikayla would spread rumors about her and her younger sister Katelynn Zales. Mackenzie defeated agreed to give her an apology and control of all the girls bathrooms in Overland Park.
Wanting allies in her fight against the cheer squad, she and her sisters offer to buy Deandra lunch and make her an honorary Van Buren Cousin. together they put laxatives in the cheer squads pep rally energy drinks. This incident would cause the cheer squad to retaliate by changing her name on the nominations for prom from Shay to Gay, thus having everyone call her that from now on.
When Deandra is 25 minutes late for a Van Buren family strategy meeting, she, along with her sisters, go and find her hanging out with the cheerleaders. They learn that Deandra has also joined the side of the cheer squad. A struggle inures which resulted in Deandra loosing both her arms. Shay (along with her sisters) quickly flees after this happens.
Relationships
Shay's biggest enemy was her fellow cheerleader Mackenzie Zales. In a Viewer Fan-Mail video, Mackenzie revealed the origin of their mutual hatred was due to an incident in elementary where Shay ate Mackenzie's Lunchable. However, in season 3 their relationship has loosened ever since Mackenzie let her be the head cheerleader for the cheer squad. She even calls Mackenzie her friend, albeit a "shitty" friend (fans have speculated a romantic subtext between the two, appropriately entitling it "Shaykenzie"). However, any sign of friendship was quickly broken off when Shay quit the cheer squad because of Brittnay swearing revenge on the Cheersquad, and swore to Mackenzie to usurp her title as the most popular girl in school, and teamed up with Brittnay to take Mackenzie down, forming team Shittnay.
In the third grade, she got hit in the ear with a hacky sack by Matthew Derringer. She had to go to the nurse's office and she did not attend cheerleading try-outs. Because she didn't attend try-outs, Shay didn't get the title of Head Cheerleader, and Mackenzie did. Shay still holds a grudge against Mackenzie and is constantly plotting, along with her sisters, to get revenge on the Cheer Squad. She also hates Matthew Derringer for making her partially deaf, although she hasn't ever had a confrontation with him.
It seems that she has a mutual friendship with Saison Margeurite; in episode 10 she was seen in the bathroom with her and Deandra, and in the beginning of season two, they were both shown talking at their lockers. She has also invited Deandra over to her house on two occasions; once to help plot revenge on the cheer squad in season 1, and once for dinner in season 2. She even lets Deandra join her and her family for Thanksgiving Dinner in season 3.
Episode Appearances
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | N | N | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | N | N |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N | Y | N | Y |
| 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 |
| Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | M | N | Y | Y | NL | Y |
| 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | Y | NL | Y | Y |
| 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | M |
Gallery
Trivia
- The Cheer Squad and the Football team call her "Gay" Van Buren, though this trend fizzled away during the end of season 2.
- Her head was shaved by her mother in third grade because she had head lice.
- She took Jonathan Getslinhaumer to prom as her date.
- She is rumored to suffer from bulimia (Season 1 Ep 9 and Season 2 Ep 7 & 20).
- She is the only member of her family that doesn't have blue eyes.
- She has a large family who are both rich and successful.
- It is revealed in season 4 that Shay can become drunk very quickly, with just a little amount of alcohol.
- Shay's sexual orientation is unconfirmed.
- She is deaf in her right ear.
- Shay states that she is 6ft tall and 105lbs.
- It's revealed in season 5 that Shay and Cameron have different fathers, making them half-siblings.
- Shay's dad met Jayna while at Hooters.