When Heated Rivalry was first recommended to me, I put it on the back burner. Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of American Television – especially when it’s geared toward the LGBTQ+ community. More often than not the characters are one dimensional cartoons I have very little in common with. Of course, there are some exceptions (Sense8, Love Victor, Mid Century Modern) but usually the gays are comic relief – and my life isn’t a punchline.
So, I put this show on the back burner, I had two days off over Christmas and my ex boyfriend convinced me to give it a shot.
SYNOPSIS
Canadian Sean Hollander (Hudson Williams) introduces himself to Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) ahead of the International Prospect Cup final—a game Russia ultimately wins. Six months later, Ilya is selected first overall in the Major League Hockey draft by the Boston Raiders, with Shane going second to the Montreal Metros.
A friendly rivalry begins to take shape. Months later, the two are paired for a commercial shoot, and in the quiet steam of the locker-room showers afterward, they catch an eyeful of one another—making their interest, and their intentions, perfectly clear. They hook up—not all the way, but enough to whet their whistles, and ignite the imaginations of fans around the world.
THOUGHTS
Is the story original? No. Not even close. It’s predictable, formulaic—something fans of this kind of series or book have seen a hundred times before. But it’s steamy without being overly pornographic, and it is fun. I wasn’t immediately hooked, but my interest was piqued enough that I wanted to keep watching.
There will be more Heated Rivalry soon so…
Stay Tuned!
Life In Cartoon Motion 