Scheana Shay has devoted her life to entertaining. Growing up with dreams of being an actress, Shay ultimately had her big break not in a Jennifer Aniston movie like her former SUR co-worker Laura-Leigh, but as the somewhat delulu, mildly egotistical character we’ve grown to know and love on Vanderpump Rules. Whether you love her or hate her, there’s no denying that she’s spent over a decade (11 seasons, to be exact) cementing herself as a reality television icon, and because of that, she deserves another chance on the small screen.

With the news that Vanderpump Rules is getting an entirely new cast for Season 12, it only makes sense that Shay is given a bigger role in The Valley Season 3. She and Lala Kent have appeared on the spinoff in small doses, and while I wouldn’t be heartbroken if Kent kept her “friend of” status at best, I do believe that Shay deserves another time to shine, especially now that Jax Taylor isn’t going to be returning next season.

The Valley was framed around Vanderpump Rules alum Kristen Doute, Brittany Cartwright, and Taylor entering the next chapter of adulthood with their fellow group of husband/wife and mom/dad friends. At the end of the first season, we watched the aftermath of Cartwright’s decision to separate from Taylor after nearly five years of marriage—and the continued fallout in Season 2 made The Valley one of the darkest shows on Bravo, as Taylor fessed up to a cocaine addiction and supposedly went to rehab, yet continued to berate, belittle, and spy on his estranged wife at any chance he could. With Taylor and Bravo finally going their separate ways in light of his dismal behavior in Season 2, there will be a Vanderpump Rules-sized hole in the cast that needs filling—and who better to stir the pot in Taylor’s absence than Shay?

I’m well aware of the mistakes Shay made in her last season on Vanderpump Rules. Yes, she could have been more supportive of Ariana Madix, and yes, she tended to make things about herself. But what we didn’t know was that right around the time they were filming the fallout of Tom Sandoval’s affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, Shay’s husband Brock Davies had come clean about an affair he had while she was pregnant with their daughter Summer Moon, a revelation she made in her memoir My Good Side. Watching that season back, it’s clear that her headspace was all over the place. I’m no psychologist, but it’s almost as if her willingness to empathize with Sandoval was, in some weird way, how she was convincing herself to forgive her husband for his similar infraction. Maybe I’m an eternal optimist, but I want to give Shay some grace, and I don’t think that we should write her off just yet.

For one, she will have no problem finding a storyline when it comes time to film The Valley Season 3. From the sounds of it, she’s already gearing up to share more about that difficult time in her life. Speaking on why she didn’t open up about Davies’ affair sooner, Shay recently told Decider, “Just because this happened to me doesn’t mean I owe it to you to tell you tomorrow. I can put this out with agency on my own timeline. And if that means Season 12, Season 3, a book, whatever it is, it’s my story to tell.” Season 3? As in, The Valley Season 3?

There have been reports that Shay will be joining the show full-time, but Bravo has yet to confirm any such news. If producers do decide to take the plunge, the transition would be seamless. After all, Shay is genuinely friends with everyone on The Valley, including Cartwright, Doute, Janet Caperna, and Michelle Saniei. In fact, the big rumor going around this season was that Caperna allegedly sought Shay out at a pool party and befriended her as a fan of Vanderpump Rules, proving that Shay’s name is in everyone’s mouth regardless of whether she’s a full-time cast member or not, so she might as well be getting the same paycheck.

This may be an unpopular opinion, and I know the fans have their gripes with Shay. But just think of all the iconic moments she’s delivered over the years. Remember when she hobbled away on crutches from a fight with Stassi Schroeder in the back alley of SUR? Or when she bought her situationship a penguin? Or what about the time she sang “Good as Gold” while wearing bedazzled sneaker wedges on a bar at her own engagement party? I mean, this is the woman who literally taught us that we should never settle for a man who can’t hang a TV in under seven minutes. Not to mention, it was her conversation with Brandi Glanville about her affair with Eddie Cibrian that transitioned The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills into Vanderpump Rules. Without Shay’s openness on day one, who’s to say what would’ve become of the Emmy-nominated series?

Still questioning me? Listen to Lady Gaga! There’s a reason the Grammy-winning icon said she’d miss Shay the most out of the original Vanderpump Rules cast.

While Shay may have cringey moments and she may find herself on the wrong side of history at times, there’s no doubt that she is made for reality TV. Because of that, it’s time that Bravo gives Shay her flowers for her years of service and promote her to a full-time cast member on The Valley. Let’s make Season 3 good as gold, baby!