Heated Rivalry became 2025's most surprising hit of the year just before we welcomed 2026, and one thing fans are quite curious about is the actors' sexuality, given that most intimate scenes they shared charged chemistry in ways we've never seen before.
The Heated Rivalry creator breaks their silence on the query.
Are Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie Straight? Heated Rivalry Creator Breaks Silence
If there's one thing Heated Rivalry fans can't get enough of, it's the undeniable chemistry shared between stars Hudson Williams (who plays Shane Hollander) and Connor Storrie (who plays Ilya Rozanov). Considering their intimate scenes, the actors have been badgered with questions regarding their sexuality in real life.
Neither actor has disclosed it publicly, as they both choose to keep their lives private. The Heated Rivalry creator, Jacob Tierney, reminds fans why there's "no reason" to find out anything beyond their characters on the small screens.
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"I don't think there's any reason to get into that stuff," Tierney said in a recent interview with Xtra. "I'll tell you something about the casting of both of these roles. You can't ask questions like that when you're casting, right? It's actually against the law. So what you have to gauge is somebody's enthusiasm and willingness to do the work."
He added, "And that's what's so impressive about both of these guys is they came into this being like, 'Yeah, we're here to do this, and we are here to make this story feel authentic and to be as real as possible.' And they f***ing hit it out of the park."
But if you are curious about the canon sexuality of their characters: Shane Hollander came out as gay, Ilya Rozanov is bisexual, Scott Hunter is gay (while the actor who plays him, François Arnaud, publicly came out as bisexual in 2020), and lastly, Kip Grady is an openly gay man.
What We Know So Far About Heated Rivalry Season 2
Heated Rivalry season 2 was officially greenlit on December 12 last year, when HBO Max confirmed the renewal ahead of the conclusion of the first season. The show's stars even confirmed season 2 in an Instagram video, calling it 'Hotter, Wetter, Longer.'
Unfortunately, there are no other confirmed details yet, such as when Heated Rivalry S2 would likely premiere and whether or not we'll be getting another spotlight of LGBTQ+ couples in Rachel Reid's novel series. However, we do know what story season 2 will focus on.
Keep in mind that Reid's novels are not entirely about Ilya and Shane. The series showcased a couple more hockey romance couples in love. But since season 2 will likely continue where Ilya and Shane's romance was left off, start flipping the pages of the sixth book, titled The Long Game.
The Long Game reunites Ilya and Shane, a little over 10 years since the events of Heated Rivalry (which happens to be the second book of the franchise). While they remain together and strong, they also remain closeted and have been dating in secret for over 11 years, which would eventually take a toll on them.
"Start reading The Long Game if you want to spoil it for yourself," Storrie said in the video.
For now, fans can keep streaming all six episodes of Heated Rivalry on HBO Max.
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