By
Tionah Lee
Published:
8:52 AM PDT, October 27, 2022
Shauna Rae and her family are back for season 2 of the TLC reality series, I Am Shauna Rae! Earlier this year, the world was introduced to Shauna, who is a 23-year-old living in an 8-year-old's body, as a result of pituitary dwarfism.
Shauna’s condition is the direct result of chemotherapy treatments she received at six months old following a brain cancer diagnosis. While the cancer treatment was successful, she developed the form of dwarfism that left her at the height of 3’11".
This season, Shauna takes new steps on her journey to adulthood as she explores New York City living, dating and her journey to getting her driver's license.
Shauna is doing this all while navigating the world with her pituitary dwarfism, blonde hair and tattoos. Ahead of the series premiere, Shauna and her sister, Rylee, stepped in as ET correspondents and interviewed each other about what fans can expect in the new season.
"I'm excited for season 2,"Shauna tells Rylee in an exclusive sit-down for ET. "I feel like it has more in detail about our lives and people are going to get to know us more."
Season 1 of I Am ShaunaRae introduced the world to Shauna, her protective parents, Patricia and Mark, and her siblings, Rylee and Morgan.
Shauna admits that she has learned a lot about herself since stepping behind the camera for the reality series.
"Filming a TV show I thinkhas not just taught me but also helped me learn that Ireally, really got some confidence issues,"Shauna says. "But at the same time, I can persevere and push through them, and I think that's really beneficial to me."
On camera, Shauna is working to help the world see past her small stature and realize that she’s a grown woman.
"I think the biggest misconception people have isthat I look like an 8-year-old,” she says. “I think people just correlate my height with a certain age so therefore they're not actually looking at my physical features. I think if you look at my face you look at my actual body, it's the body of a 23-year-old just shrunken."
Rylee adds that another misconception people have about her sister is her strong personality that comes with a bit of "attitude."
"I think the attitude is a big deal too,"Shauna adds. "But I think people don't understand that I'm just a very honest person and it’s our sense of humor."
Shauna gets the chance to put her personality on display for a couple of suitors this season. For the first time, Shauna goes on a date with a man who has the same form of dwarfism as her. And he's a firefighter.
"I think going on a date with a firefighterin general was kinda cool,"she spills about the date. "I mean, it was like being back in second grade when you learn everything about a fire station. But then being on a date with someone who also has pituitary dwarfism, I think it opened both of our eyes to understanding ‘cause I don't think either one of us has met someone, in person, with the same condition. I think having that similarity and not having to be like, 'Oh, you understand medical talk.'That was great."
Shauna’s long-distance love connection with a man named Dan (from Wales) was teased in the season 2 trailer. Shauna reveals there’s potential for something more.
"The guy from Wales in the trailer, his name is Dan. He is a really close friend that’s developed into something maybe more,"she saysto Rylee.
Although Shauna puts the personal details about her life on display, she admits that she has a bigger mission and purpose for the show.
"I hope I'm making a difference in helping disabilities or dwarfism or pituitary dwarfism get recognized and accepted,"she says. "I want people to ask questions, but I want them to be polite about the questions and how they approach the person. I just hope that I'm influencing people that don't know and I'm influencing the people that have a disability to empower themselves and be confident and go out there and not care what people think."
Season 2 of I Am Shauna Rae premieres Nov. 1 on TLC.
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