Like nearly anyone with a pulse, I’ve been watching Heated Rivalry. To say that the series is revelatory would be a massive understatement. The acting, the story, the everything is powerful and truly compelling. Anyone watching that doesn’t shed a tear is inhuman. In just a couple of months, it has created more discussion and developed more fans than nearly any show previously.
As Shane and Ilya skate towards a future together, the show brings up emotions that I, for one, forgot I had. Heated Rivalry makes me remember what it was like when I was coming out — when you couldn’t simply be who you wanted to be. It was a time (and not that long ago) that being gay could be dangerous. It would destroy friendships, careers, families, and for many brought them to the brink of mental collapse. Seeing Shane ultimately realize he was gay brings a lot of those feelings back.
Heated Rivalry relies on that same premise of “what if.” Shane and Ilya’s relationship, while deep and devoted, sits underneath a fear of being found out: by their teams, by Ilya’s family, by Shane’s family (at first), and the fear that their fans would abandon them. We watch that “what if” pressure build and take its toll in multiple ways. We see the sense of shame, fear, and can feel the pressure that they’re both under. Again, in no small part because we’ve been there.
Then there’s Scott and Kip. Sorry for the spoiler, (again, who hasn’t actually seen the show?) but when Scott comes out on national TV and kisses his boyfriend at center ice, it’s a huge game changer for Shane and Ilya. Suddenly they see possibilities where none existed, and it’s time to “go to the cottage.” Then Shane’s dad discovers the big secret, and we can finally exhale knowing both that Shane’s parents are ok with this unlikely (and long term) relationship, and that Ilya, beneath a cold Russian exterior, is a loving and supportive boyfriend. Who wasn’t in tears during that scene at the dining room table?
So here we are. It’s still early, but we see that there’s a possibility of coming out and not spiraling down into hell. Shane and Ilya’s relationship (like their abs…) is rock solid. Again that message: it’s ok to come out. It’s ok to be gay. It’s ok to be gay and have a relationship you don’t have to keep in the shadows. How amazing that all feels, right?
Then we have real life. Most of the leading cast members ardently refused to discuss their sexuality. In their eyes, it’s nobody’s business. Of course, the press, paparazzi, and die-hard fans are speculating endlessly. We’ve had small press leaks (an ex of Connor’s posting video of a clearly committed and smitted him declaring he’s his boyfriend), Hudson supposedly “hiding” a Canadian girlfriend, and possibly my favorite — a video of Hudson Williams allegedly playing tonsil hockey with Tom Blyth. It’s clearly not them, or is it, we’re split on this one.
Here’s the thing. The whole Heated Rivalry story is about being able to live your life out of the closet and away from the shadows without recrimination of any kind. To know that these two massive talents (Connor and Hudson) are merely acting out their on-screen love with any of the authenticity of either being in a relationship, or at least being interested in men, shatters our dreams and fantasies.
Hudson Connor said recently:
I want queer people telling queer stories, but also, there’s the element of Connor and I — we’re best friends, and we love expressing that physically,” Williams said. “You see people who infer or assume, and you kind of have to let that go. But then again, I never wanna stop expressing the love I have for Connor physically, and I’m never really going to.”
Quite bluntly: What the fuck does that actually mean? Without overly parsing his words, it seems like he expresses his love for Connor physically and queer people should be telling queer stories. So if a guy says that about his co-star, and this particular role he’s playing, is he outing himself without actually outing himself? The level of “physical expression” on display between these two isn’t what pals do — it’s a bit more free and intimate. And if “queer people should be telling queer stories,” what does this say about Hudson and Connor? In other words, is he trying to say what we want to hear with just enough plausible deniability that we can’t actually call it “coming out?” This isn’t exactly queer-baiting, but it’s definitely saying something that Hudson prefers to keep as ambiguous as possible.
Heated Rivalry wants us to believe that nobody has to live in a closet. Hudson Williams and Connor Storie, however, appear to be deftly tap dancing around the topic. If it’s out of fear, or professional retaliation, or a loss of fans, then maybe they need to watch Heated Rivalry?
