Dylan Walsh, who plays closeted hockey star Shane Hollander's dad on Heated Rivalry, let a very big secret slip during a paid Cameo shoutout, and now he's off the app for a full year.

What Walsh actually said

In the clip, which spread fast across fan accounts, Walsh said he was getting ready to "go back up to Canada to shoot some more episodes, so I think we're doing 12 this time." That caught fans off guard, since Tierney had told the Los Angeles Times season two would run six episodes, matching season one. Walsh's number suggests either a much bigger season two or that seasons two and three are filming as one block.

I don't need to do 10. I would always rather tighten the belt than get loosey-goosey.
Jacob Tierney

Fiction imitating reality

The irony is hard to miss. Season two adapts Rachel Reid's The Long Game, and its plot centers on Shane's best friend Hayden Pike accidentally posting classified info on a Cameo-like app that goes viral. Walsh basically lived out his own show's storyline, and fans noticed immediately, half-joking about starting a petition to get his Cameo access back.

Why a hockey rom-com generates this much heat

Heated Rivalry became a Canadian streaming phenomenon almost overnight, and that scale explains why a stray comment from a supporting actor made headlines. Whether Walsh's break from Cameo is self-imposed or something production asked for isn't confirmed, but a year-long gap points to real consequences either way.

MQ's Take

We love this messy, self-referential moment. A show about closeted athletes keeping secrets just watched its own cast member accidentally recreate the plot in real time, and the fandom's affection, not anger, is the tell. Walsh's slip probably won't hurt him or the show. If anything, it proves how much people care about getting this story right.

Sources: Pride, Out

Cover photo: The Talk, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

hockey romance

Heated Rivalry Actor Suspended From Cameo After Leaking Season Two Details