Daniel Diemer is going from Brentwood Bay to the world of Heated Rivalry. The Vancouver Island raised actor has been cast as Ryan Price in the second season of the hit Crave series, giving Island viewers another reason to have a personal connection to one of Canada’s most talked-about shows. Diemer’s casting was announced Tuesday alongside British actor Shaheen Jafargholi, who will play Fabian Salah. The two join returning stars Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie as the series expands its cast for Season 2. For Diemer, the role is another major step in a career that has taken him from Vancouver Island to increasingly prominent screen roles. He is known for playing Paul Munsky in the Netflix film The Half of It and Tyson in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. And now, the Brentwood Bay native is joining a show that has become a cultural phenomenon. The University of Victoria is offering a course examining Heated Rivalry and the books that inspired it, another sign of just how far the series has travelled beyond the television screen. That makes Diemer’s casting a particularly fitting Vancouver Island connection: while students at UVic are studying the phenomenon, a hometown actor is joining the cast. Heated Rivalry is created by Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling Game Changers books. Season 2 is scheduled to premiere on Crave in spring 2027. For Island fans, there will be a familiar face to watch for when it does. Crave, CTV and CTV News are owned by Bell Media, which is a subsidiary of BCE Inc.
