Much like most of the internet and the pop culture world, HBO Max’s “Heated Rivalry” has been consuming both my mind and my “for you” page. Heated Rivalry, which made its debut on November 28, 2025, is based on the novel of the same title by Rachel Reid. The show follows professional hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, whose intense competition on rival teams slowly turns into an intimate relationship. A relationship where they have to keep a secret from the rest of their teammates, as well as the world. In true New York fashion, the success of the TV series was marked by a “lookalike contest” in Washington Square Park. Fans reposted social media posters, searching for dupes of actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who play the show’s main characters, Shane and Ilya. Naturally, I had to make an appearance, despite the single digit temperatures in New York this February. Here’s what happened…
The lookalike contest was held this past weekend, on Sunday, February 1, beginning at 2:00 PM. I arrived at Washington Square Park at 1:45 pm, hoping to beat the crowd, but upon arrival, I was met with hundreds of other Heated Rivalry fans who were also eagerly awaiting the contest to begin. Unfortunately for those organizing the event, the WSP security ordered the contest to be moved to a different location, as they had not secured a permit for the gathering. Despite the initial roadblock, thousands of Heated Rivalry fans walked from Washington Square Park to the New York University campus on Mercer Street, where a small playground was taken over and turned into a fan club for the next hour. Whether they were holding hockey sticks, waving American flags with the faces of Shane and Ilya on the front, or just attending the competition out of their love for the show, fans were determined to witness who was going to win the “face off,” and would not let the absence of a permit stand in their way of seeing it.
When we arrived at the secondary location, event organizers with megaphones and pink sashes reading “Hollanov Crew” cleared a snowy path for all participants to make their way to the front of the park. The “front” of the event was simply a fence where contestants climbed up so they could be seen by the thousands of spectators in attendance. There were about fifteen participants for both Shane and Ilya, who were asked to go down the line with the megaphone and introduce themselves to the crowd. Once they were done with the initial introductions, the audience was then asked to cheer for the participants who they believed looked the most like their favorite on screen hockey boys. After this round of voting-by-cheering, the Shanes and Ilyas with the least number of cheers were escorted from the fence, marking the beginning of the second round. One of the most notable participants in the first round, who unfortunately was voted out, was a dog wearing a Shane Hollander jersey.
The second round of voting was a bit more complex, with each of the remaining Shanes and Ilyas being asked to recite some of the TV show’s most famous lines. One by one, the Shanes recited the iconic, “Will you come to my cottage this summer?” and the Ilyas followed with, “I’m coming to the cottage.” After the second round of cheering and voting, the winners had been declared, each wearing the respective 81 and 24 jerseys of their characters. Each of the winners was rewarded with a fifty-dollar check and merchandise for their respective characters. The contest ended with lots of loud chanting, as well as a photo opportunity for the Hollander and Rozanov lookalikes to pose with fans.
Despite not getting an appearance from the real Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie like some fans were hoping, the Heated Rivalry lookalike contest still produced an amazing experience for fans of the show. I will certainly be looking forward to the next stint of Heated Rivalry related events in New York City.