Connor Storrie’s signature curls are officially gone just as production on the second season of Heated Rivalry gets underway.
The 26-year-old actor was photographed in Toronto on August 23 with a dramatically shorter buzz cut while having a meal with co-star Christina Chang. Just Jared reported that the image confirmed rumors that had been circulating for several days about Storrie’s new look.
The transformation immediately attracted attention because Storrie’s longer, curly hair became closely associated with his portrayal of Russian hockey star Ilya Rozanov. PinkNews reported that fans are already debating whether the haircut will appear in the upcoming season, although neither Storrie nor the show’s producers has said it was done for the role.
Filming officially began in August, and Bell Media has confirmed that Storrie and Hudson Williams are returning as Ilya and Shane Hollander alongside an expanded Season 2 cast.
Storrie’s New Buzz Cut Surfaced During a Toronto Lunch
@adejesus08 Watch me crash out over Connor Storrie’s buzzcut 🙇🏻♀️ #connorstorrie #heatedrivalry #buzzcut #foryou #fyp ♬ My Moon My Man – Feist
The photograph that settled the haircut rumors showed Storrie sitting with Chang while the two were out to eat in Toronto. The Connor Storrie Updates account that shared the photograph said it was taken around noon on August 23.
The sighting was not presented as a photograph from the Heated Rivalry set. Some viewers immediately began speculating about what it could mean for Ilya, while others treated the development more simply as the loss of one of Storrie’s most recognizable features.
Storrie Had Been Saying He Wanted to Shave His Head
@teenvogue If this gets to 1M likes we will send Connor a strongly-worded letter not to shave his head #HeatedRivalry #ConnorStorrie #HudsonWilliams #HeatedRivalryEdits ♬ original sound – TeenVogue
The dramatic change should not come as a complete surprise to anyone who followed Storrie’s interviews after the first season became a breakout hit. While appearing with Williams in a Teen Vogue video in December 2025, Storrie openly admitted that he was ready to get rid of his curls.
“I’m ready to cut this stuff off if y’all want me to be completely honest,” he said. Storrie then went further, saying, “I’m ready to shave my head. I don’t know who’s out there, but someone hire me and give me a crazy haircut.”
He repeated the idea while getting ready for a Saint Laurent fashion show in a Vogue video released in January. As groomer Kerrie Urban worked on his hair, Storrie teased, “Just wait until we do something, and until we cut it all off,” before adding, “I want to.”
Heated Rivalry Season 2 Is Expanding Beyond Shane and Ilya
Whatever happens with Ilya’s hair, the second season is already broadening the world established around Storrie and Williams. Bell Media announced that Emily Hampshire will play Vanessa, Edvin Ryding will portray Luca Haas, Robert Naylor will appear as Wyatt Hayes, Sabrina Jalees will play Farah Jalali and Priyanka will join as Tarek.
Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie were previously announced in leading roles as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, the central couple from Reid’s Role Model. Series creator Jacob Tierney remains writer, director and executive producer. Brendan Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson serve as executive producers, while Rachel Reid remains consulting producer and Mike Goldbach has joined as a Season 2 co-writer.
Production officially began in August, with the show’s team sharing a “Day 1” update as filming got underway. Bell Media says Heated Rivalry Season 2 is scheduled to premiere in spring 2027 on Crave, with HBO Max retaining U.S. streaming rights.