‘Heated Rivalry’ Fans Think They Know Who’s Playing Fabian in Season 2
What To Know
- Fans speculate that an actor has been cast as Fabian for Season 2 of Heated Rivalry.
- The actor was pictured alongside the cast at the Canadian Screen Awards after-party.
- Season 2 production is anticipated to start in August 2026.
A good portion of the Heated Rivalry fandom suspects that a major character has been cast for Season 2. Not only that, but they may have already ID’d the actor playing him.
As readers of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series know, Ilya (Connor Storrie) and Shane (Hudson Williams) aren’t the only major couple. Along with Scott (François Arnaud) and Kip (Robbie G.K.), there are two more couples that get their own books, including Tough Guy‘s Ryan and Fabian. The latter is whom eagle-eyed fans theorize has already been found, after an actor matching his description was pictured with the Heated Rivalry cast at the Canadian Screen Awards.
In several shots from the after-party, which occurred once the May 31 ceremony ended, model and actor Abdalla Amour is pictured with the Heated Rivalry group. One was shared on Instagram by Kolton Stewart, who plays Carter. Amour stands next to Callan Potter (Hayden), Kaden Connors (Sasha), Williams, Reid, and more. In another, Amour poses with Williams and Connors.
i’m a very happy customer he looks exactly like someone who could get a whole crowd of gay hockey players in heat pic.twitter.com/3SQ8H9iQND
— mia (@hollanderstern) June 1, 2026
It didn’t take long for fans to locate Amour’s Instagram profile. He notes in his bio that he’s “lebanese ukrainian” and based in New York, London, and Canada. Fabian is Lebanese Canadian, so that’s all it took for fans to start thinking that he’ll portray the Tough Guy protagonist in Heated Rivalry Season 2. What’s more, showrunner Jacob Tierney and Reid both follow Amour, who has several small acting roles under his belt, on Instagram.
Though Fabian has his own book — which sees him get a second chance romance with hockey player Ryan — he also appears in The Long Game, Shane and Ilya’s sequel and Season 2’s source material. Toward the beginning of the book, they go on a double date with Ryan (who works at Shane and Ilya’s hockey camp for kids) and Fabian. A couple of chapters later, Shane and Ilya attend up-and-coming musician Fabian’s concert.
View this post on Instagram
Tierney hasn’t revealed if Fabian (or Ryan, who is mentioned by name in Season 1) will appear in Season 2. So far, the only other Game Changers characters that he’s confirmed will be involved are Troy and Harris. Their book, Role Model, directly overlaps with The Long Game‘s timeline. Troy is a new player for the Ottawa Centaurs, Ilya’s new hockey team, and Harris is their social media manager. No casting news has dropped for them, either, but Season 2 production is anticipated to start in August 2026.
Do you think Fabian and Ryan will appear in Season 2? Will they get their own bottle episode like Scott and Kip did in Season 1? Tell us your theories below!
Heated Rivalry, Season 2, TBA 2027, Crave & HBO Max
