Emily Hampshire reveals her surprise Heated Rivalry season 1 cameo

Emily Hampshire is set to join Heated Rivalry season 2 as Vanessa, but the Schitt’s Creek alum already had a small connection to the hit hockey drama.

Hampshire received a “special thanks” credit at the end of the season 1 finale, which fans quickly noticed. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the actress confirmed that she also had a small, uncredited voice role in the series.

Hampshire served as the announcer during the Major League Hockey awards ceremony in episode 2, introducing Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, and Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie, to the stage.

“I couldn’t believe the fandom of this show were able to pick that out,” Hampshire said, explaining that her appearance was brief and that she “didn’t say anything” beyond the announcement.

Her connection to Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney goes back much further. Hampshire described Tierney as her “oldest and best friend” and said she has appeared in his projects since his first short film. He also officiated her wedding ceremony.

Hampshire said she read Heated Rivalry before the series was made, given her long friendship with Tierney. She will now have a larger role in season 2 as Vanessa, a feminist lesbian who works at a Toronto sex shop and runs a sex toy review blog in Rachel Reid’s books.

The actress also acknowledged the intense fandom surrounding Heated Rivalry, joking that she hopes viewers will approve of her portrayal of Vanessa.

Heated Rivalry season 2 is projected to premiere in spring 2027 on HBO Max in the US and Crave in Canada.