Re-introducing Priyanka, Drag Race winner and now Heated Rivalry season 2 star
Priyanka to join Heated Rivalry season 2. (Instagram/@thequeenpriyanka)
Priyanka is set to strut into the second season of Heated Rivalry, but who is the Canada’s Drag Race winner? We’ve got everything you need to know…
The 35-year-old Canadian-born star, whose real name is Mark Suknanan, will join the wildly popular show as Tarek.
Priyanka’s casting announcement came as part of the second wave of new arrivals to the hit show.
Priyanka will be starring alongside the existing cast of Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, who play hockey rivals-to-lovers Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander.
As the hype for Heated Rivalry season two continues to mount, here’s everything you need to know about new cast member Priyanka…
Who is Priyanka in Heated Rivalry season 2?
In Heated Rivalry season two, Priyanka will play Tarek. Tarek is an assistant for an immigration service, as well as the roommate of Vanessa (Emily Hampshire) and Marcus, and a friend of the androgynous musician Fabian Salah.
The character appeared in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book Heated Rivalry, but not in the show’s first season. The character is also in Reid’s third book Tough Guy.
The next season will draw on Role Model (book five), alongside the show’s central adaptation focus, The Long Game (book six). Role Model centres on the relationship between the Centaurs’ social media manager, Harris Drover (Justice Smith), and complicated hockey player Troy Barrett (Charlie Gillespie). Meanwhile, The Long Game continues Ilya and Shane’s journey as a couple.
However, Tarek’s casting suggests Jacob Tierney will also look to Tough Guy for plot points.
Tough Guy chronicles the will-they-won’t-they romance of Fabian and closeted hockey player Ryan Price. We’ll have to keep an eye out for casting announcements for Fabian and Ryan, though Abdalla Amour is rumoured to have been cast as Fabian.
Is Priyanka queer?
Yes, Suknanan is queer. Out of drag, Priyanka identifies as a gay man.
Priyanka is often using her platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ and South Asian representation. In doing so, she has become an international voice, raising visibility for LGBTQ+ communities.
What has Priyanka starred in before?
Priyanka won season one of Canada’s Drag Race and has since built a mainstream profile through performance, comedy and music.
Before her Drag Race journey, though, Priyanka worked in children’s television, hosting The Zone and The Next Star, under the name Mark Suki.
In February, Priyanka made history as a judge on the first all-drag queen judging panel in Drag Race history.
After the casting announcement, Priyanka took to Instagram to share her excitement about being cast.
“It’s official! I’m apart of Season 2 of the best TV show on the planet Heated Rivalry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” she wrote.
“If you know the books, I’ll be playing Tarek and bringing all kinds of drama, gaggery, bafoonery to the new season. It’s an honour and I honestly can’t believe it! [Jacob Tierney] thank you for having me.
“Between this and the small town tour that you all got off the ground, my dreams continue to come true!”
Heated Rivalry is streaming now on HBO, Crave and NOW. Season two is confirmed to premiere in spring 2027.
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