In the short span of two months the Crave original show Heated Rivalry has won its prominent place in pop culture. At first it was a show that mainly attracted audiences’ attention through its “spicy scenes” , then became adored by millions for its passionate love story. The show focuses on the rivals to lovers arc between Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander and Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov. From the ice rank to the cottage they balance falling in love while hiding their relationship in order to remain in their renounced positions as top hockey players.
Audiences have also fallen in admiration for the two actors who play this couple Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Interviews of them have gone viral, showing off their wit and how they foil their characters in real life. They have gone from waiting tables to presenting at the Golden Globes, in what seems to be overnight. However, it only takes so long for the internet to throw in the bouts of discourse, conversancy, and parasocial behaviors.
Whenever a piece of queer media goes viral, the discourse over celebrity and actorsexualities begins to grow a significant amount. One of the major examples of this discourse was in 2022 when Kit Connor felt forced to come out as Bisexual due to the hate online after being found with an alleged girlfriend. This discourse is still happening in 2026, now with Williams and Storrie.
The major event that exacerbated this discourse was an interview with Jordan Firstman who stars in the HBO Max show I Love LA. In his interview for Vulture, he’s asked about Heated Rivalry and then states “ … it is just not gay, … There’s so few things that actually show gay sex”. He then commented on Williams and Storrie not disclosing their sexuality to the public saying, “A gay guy would say it.”
Representation is an important aspect of pop culture for people of marginalized groups. However, doesn’t forcing a person to come out in the guise of “representation” goes against everything the LGBTQ+ community stands for? The concept of coming out can create a sense of autonomy of one’s narrative as a queer person. In that knowledge, shouldn’t the queer community support the decision of other queer folk to decide if they want to be public with this personal aspect of their lives?
One of the best aspects of films and shows is that you don’t have to go through the exact same struggles as the characters in order to empathize with them. Not everyone is a hockey player who’s in a secret relationship with their rival. But, plenty of people can relate to the pressure to conform and prioritize the roles society gives you. People can relate to yearning for something they feel they can’t have. These emotions and experiences transcend social constructs like gender, race, and sexuality of actors. They are a part of human experiences.
You can also see this transcend from social construct in the growing audience of women who have become fans of the show. This has brought the burning question, Why does gay media draw in such a big crowd of women enjoyers? Especially when these groups of women are straight themselves. Are they just fetishizers of gay men or could it be more nuanced than that? There has been a wide range of answers provided for this question online.
One answer that stood out was a post from TikTok user Sophiayetunde. In the post she states, “ I found myself, not necessarily attracted to [Hollander and Rozanov], but attracted to being them—attracted to what being a man allows you to have in love. The freedom to relate to someone without already being positioned as lesser” (Yetunde). It can be refreshing for women to see what a romantic relationship can look like without the limitations of misogyny. This sparks a fire of investment into the story of the two lovers.
This does not go to say that there has been absolutely no examples of parasocial attitudes towards the actors. There have been examples of infantilisation from referring to the actors as “smol beans” to some fans hating on Heated Rivalry castmate François Arnaud for a rumored relationship with Connor Storrie. These fans have commented that Storrie (25) is too young for Arnaud (40). They make jokes about how someone needs to save Storrie from dating a “grandpa”. Needless to say, it is important to remember that these actors are adults with lives outside what is perceived on social media. They are able to make their own private decisions that do not have to involve the commentary from strangers online.
Virality on social media has its pros and cons. It can take people from table servers to the golden globes, and to unfortunately having their privacy be threatened. However, it is important to reevaluate parasocial behaviors as consumers of media. It can bring a sense of hope and affirmation to see queer media receive mainstream approval.
But, it is still healthy to remember that interest and beloved artworks are not substitutes for a personality. Someone can be a passionate lover and mindful consumer of media at the same time. When there is a focus on consuming media ethically, it can create a fun yet nontoxic environment to gush over sexy hockey players who win each other’s heart. Similarly to how they won the hearts of the show’s diverse audience.