Shana Hiatt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shana Hiatt (born 1975) is a model and presenter who has appeared in several magazines. A former Army brat raised primarily in Tabernacle, New Jersey, she is best known for hosting the first three seasons of World Poker Tour on the The Travel Channel. While Hiatt was a non-player prior to her job with the World Poker Tour, she is now an avid online poker player who occasionally plays in casinos.^[1] Currently she is the hostess of Poker After Dark and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, both on NBC.

Hiatt was Miss Hawaiian Tropic USA in 1995 having represented Beach Haven, New Jersey after winning the local Hawaiian Tropic pageant at Touché nightclub in 1994. After becoming Miss Hawaiian Tropic USA, Hiatt was the cover model and posed nude inside the pages of Playboy in their April 1995 The Girls of Hawaiian Tropic issue. She also was on the cover for the video of that photo shoot Playboy: The Girls of Hawaiian Tropic, Naked in Paradise.

She was the Keystone Light girl in 2002, and was #75 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2005" list.^[2] Hiatt was a guest host of Wild On! featured on the E! network. She has also appeared in television shows and movies including Must Love Dogs and Grandma's Boy .

After leaving the World Poker Tour in 2005, Hiatt sued the producers in order to get a restraining order to prevent them from keeping her from working on a rival poker show on NBC, Poker After Dark.^[3] The WPT argued a non-compete clause was part of her contract, but Hiatt countered that she never signed it.^[2] The suit additionally revealed Hiatt left the WPT over a "hostile working environment" involving her husband, movie producer Todd Garner whom she married in October 2005. Hiatt was previously married to James Van Patten, brother of World Poker Tour co-host Vincent Van Patten.

In a February 2007 interview with Stuff Magazine, Hiatt reminisced about her childhood memories of hosting a television show: "I've been obsessed with it since I was 8 years old. We would have variety shows in my basement. I would set up the camera and a backdrop and have people come over to do their talent. My brother and his friends would do air guitar and air drums, and I’d be the host." ^[4]