It’s a big day to be a Heated Rivalry fan. After the massive casting announcement that Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie are joining the cast of Season 2 â playing Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, respectively â fans were served a new lineup of actors on Aug. 13: Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees, and Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka. Needless to say, the internet is excited.
While Season 2 of Heated Rivalry isn’t set to release until spring 2027, that hasn’t stopped production from teasing fans about the upcoming season. Between theories that the season will be double the episodes and new casting and production developments, fans have been fed. And this newest announcement has them craving the new season now more than ever. (Seriously, can we fast-forward to spring already?)
The second season of the gay hockey romance is set to expand the Heated Rivalry universe even more, focusing on other couples aside from Shane and Ilya â such as Scott and Kip, and Harris and Troy â as well as other characters in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid. According to Deadline, Emily Hampshire will play Vanessa, Edvin Ryding will play Luca Haas, Robert Naylor will play Wyatt Hayes, Sabrina Jalees will play Farah Jalali, and Priyanka will play Tarek.
While we don’t know much about what’s coming this season, the casting announcement does give some insight into the storylines we’ll see play out. Creator Jacob Tierney had said that Season 2 will, of course, continue Shane and Ilyaâs story by tackling Book 6, The Long Game, while also introducing a new couple by incorporating elements of Role Model (Book 5). And, based on the casting announcement of Priyanka as Tarek, fans also believe that the new season will also have elements of Tough Guy, Book 3 of the Game Changers series.
It sounds like a lot, but if anyone can make it happen, it’s Tierney. And, for fans who are worried about a lack of Hollanov â don’t worry, they’re not going anywhere. “What I’ve always said about this show is there are a lot of books â Game Changer is in Heated Rivalry,” Tierney said at BookCon in April. “Obviously parts of Role Model are going to be in [Season 2] â but Ilya and Shane are the heartbeat of this series, of my show. It’s always going to be about Ilya and Shane.”
Hopefully, as we get closer to spring, we’ll find out how Tierney will incorporate all of these stories into the season. But until then, fans can’t hold in their excitement.
Safe to say, it seems as though the Heated Rivalry casting announcements aren’t slowing down any time soon. And honestly? I’m here for it: Any news is good news when it comes to Season 2, and I can’t wait to see the Heated Rivalry universe expand even more.