Lauren Chan Joins ‘Heated Rivalry’ Season 2 Cast and SI Swimsuit Models Can’t Get Enough

This week, fans learned that the four-time SI Swimsuit star was officially cast in the forthcoming second season of the hit series.

Lauren Chan | Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, Deadline announced that Lauren Chan had officially joined the cast of the highly anticipated second season of Heated Rivalry.

Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers books, the hit series follows hockey players as they form friendships, fall in love and face rivalries that get, well, heated. The first season quickly gained popularity for its moving love story, as well as the incredible chemistry between lead actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who played Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, respectively.

The first season became available to stream in fall 2025, so fans have anxiously waited for news of the sophomore season since then—and today, they finally got a look at six new cast members, including the aforementioned SI Swimsuit star.

Chan joins Heated Rivalry Season 2 cast

As Deadline reported, Chan will play Gen on the series, where she’ll star alongside fellow newcomers Brendan Morgan, David Tomlinson, Gerry Dee, Michelle Mylett and Nick Stahl.

Shortly after the announcement, People also published an exclusive interview with the model. There, she opened up about what the first season of the show meant to her, stating in part, “It’s undeniable: Heated Rivalry created a cosmic shift in Canada, the global entertainment industry, and for our LGBTQ+ community. On a personal level, it affected me so deeply that I actually told [creator and director] Jacob [Tierney] I’d play a dog if he asked. I’m just a very small part of this incredible project, but I’ll never stop being grateful ...”

A model, writer, fashion editor and host, Chan is a longtime member of the SI Swimsuit family. She debuted with the magazine in 2023 with a rookie shoot in the Dominican Republic, returning in 2024 for a sophomore shoot in Mexico. 2025 was particularly exciting for the star, as she was featured as one of four cover models on the annual issue with her beautiful Bermuda shoot. Most recently, the multihyphenate traveled to Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico, for her 2026 feature.

Lauren Chan | Craig Barritt/Getty Images/Bronwyn Newport

Fellow SI Swimsuit stars celebrate Chan’s announcement

Of course, news this exciting deserves to be celebrated, and Chan’s fellow SI Swimsuit stars came to the comments prepared! On Instagram, many of her fellow brand models were quick to cheer her on, sharing their excitement for her latest feat.

“A truly perfect scenario,” Ilona Maher—who posed with Chan for several striking snapshots in Mexico—penned in the comments of a post Chan shared.

“STOPPPPPPP ITTTTTTTTTTT,” Kamie Crawford proclaimed, while Yumi Nu declared, “MAJOR!!!❤️.”

“OH MY GAWD,” Jena Sims applauded, while Ellie Thumann simply added, “Omg.”

And we absolutely agree with all of these comments! If you need us, we’ll be counting the days until we get to see Chan on Heated Rivalry when the show returns in 2027.

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