Heated Rivalry Gets Heated

BY: STAFF WRITER / CARESSE LIANG

Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) is glaring at Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) while they’re on the rink. (PHOTO CREDIT: DEADLINE.)

“The Canada-Russia Finals, showcasing the two most talked-about prospects in the world: Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov.”

After much anticipation for Crave’s new series, Heated Rivalry, it has finally been released with rave reviews—some I can account for. Based on the book of the same name, this gay hockey series brings forward a different level of romance between Connor Storrie’s Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams’ Shane Hollander. 

While there are only four episodes out now, the show packs a bunch of tension and thrill into each one. With every hockey stick slam, these two continue to go at it—in more ways than one. 

Starting in episode one, we dive straight into the internal conflicts that strike Hollander and Rozanov. Like the namesake, they share a deep-seated rivalry out on the rink, determined to push their teams into a win against the other. 

At the same time, it’s established that Hollander’s a soft-hearted man who’s unsure what he wants, and Rozanov’s cocky personality just wants a quick fling after the heat. After a short, steamy time in the locker room, the series shifts into an unimaginable loop of snark and sex.

The whole show displays the back-and-forth of how these characters interact, and it’s stifling.   

Of course, as composed as they try to be, they’re obsessed with each other. Behind Rozanov’s hard-headed attitude, he’s jealous of Hollander: his success, his fame, and his face. Tied down by his family in Russia, there’s an internal yearning in Hollander to be on his knees, to be vulnerable only to him.

To him, this entire ordeal is nothing more than a benefit, but behind the scenes, these two men are scared of the possibility of being known and seen as gay. The rivalry they play on the cameras deflects away from the reality of what they are both hiding from: the idea of being romantically enamored with each other.

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, touching their foreheads together on a balcony. (PHOTO CREDIT: Variety.)

According to Hudson Williams, the actor for Hollander, “He is like it,  it looks like boyfriends. It looks like a partner, and it hasn’t up to this point. And that’s sort of terrifying.” 

As the episodes continue, Shane is weighed down by his fear of actually being gay, which he is, but he tries to avoid it—and his conflicting feelings for Ilya. It doesn’t help that the latter’s casual emotions make it difficult for Shane to decipher the truth of what’s going on. 

Heated Rivalry eases into this tension nicely and perfectly. As I watch the show, I feel like screaming at the screen, asking, “Will they, won’t they?” It gets worse after they manage to exchange numbers with the prenotion of hooking up, but they spend their days texting each other for no reason at all. 

“Now, Mr. Hollander, what does Montreal have to do to win tonight?”

It’s bittersweet to see them sexting, because behind the soft instrumental, they love being around each other—even if the other is not physically there. After all, it’s a game of cat and mouse.

The two men are shown speaking at an interview panel. (PHOTO CREDIT: Gay Times.)

It’s refreshing to see queer characters on a mainstream show like Heated Rivalry. While most of the commentary is about their chemistry, the show does an excellent job of portraying the genuine emotions between Shane and Ilya. 

It discusses the reality of what it means to be gay when everyone is looking at them, what it means to be different from something they’re not. It’s an exchange of interactions between two pained characters behind hockey; it’s raw and beautiful. 

Overall, the choices made in this show are quick and calculated, and we are witnessing how their need for each other breaks through the ice. While they won’t say it, they desire something way more than plain sex—and I cannot wait to see more.