How Heated Rivalry became the Internet’s Obsession

“Heated Rivalry” reminds us that sex scenes are key to some stories. (Sabrina Lantos/HBO)

fierce rivalry The show has exploded into headlines for its steamy sex scenes, but the show proves there’s more to its bizarre physical dialogue than that.

“Sex sells.” That’s the unofficial slogan fierce rivalry and a phrase inked on the legs of the show’s stars. Hudson Williams and Connor Storey’s matching tattoos couldn’t be more fitting for their Crave Show, which has exploded into high gear thanks to a passionate online fandom that grows with each episode. However, it was the show’s sex scenes that really took the lead and made headlines.

There are many hot and intense sex scenes in each episode. fierce rivalry Certainly not shy about exploring the hidden sexuality of hockey players. But the show comes at a time when sex scenes are embroiled in an ongoing debate about their necessity.

Thanks to the show’s unabashed sex scenes, hot rivals It has reinvigorated the debate over depictions of queer sex. To some degree, these conversations feel cyclical. We keep coming back to the discussion of how sex is shown on screen. In 2023, UCLA Center for Scholars and Storytellers Gen Z youth reported that they “want to see much romance or sex on screen.” Such a view would mean that sex scenes are counterproductive to the story, and that their inclusion is pointless and unnecessary.

in fierce rivalrysex is a dialogue

at the same time, GLAAD’s 2025 “Where We Are on TV” Report It shows that queer characters are disappearing from television. The report details that while there has been a slight increase in LGBTQ+ characters appearing on screen, 41% of those characters will not return due to show cancellation or ending. Concerns grow when the data is laid out quantitatively. fierce rivalry Arriving at the Crossroads is a queer drama that proudly showcases gay sex as part of its storytelling. Reports are saying one thing, as the hype continues to build and the show heads into its second season; fierce rivalry I feel like this year’s breakthrough.

The script and director letterkennyCo-screenwriter with Jacob Tierney and Xavier Dolan The death and life of John F. Donovan, fierce rivalry Excerpt from Rachel Reid’s text game changer The series follows lovable Canadian hockey rookie Shane Hollander (an understated Williams) and his major league hockey nemesis, brooding Russian phenom Ilya Rozanov (a gripping story), as their competitive ambitions turn into heated situations that span their professional careers.

In between competing for Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup campaign, Shane and Elijah find themselves in a secret relationship of hostile interests, with their hotel room becoming a secret sanctuary for sexual indulgences that will shatter their careers if anyone finds out. This secret connects them even before their naked bodies touch. But once that happens, it’s a never-ending spiral of lust and soft subdom dynamics for the inexperienced Shane (socks still on!) and the bullish Elijah. Their “unconditional” pitch means nothing when they face each other on the ice. Until that happens.

The sex scene is replaced by something else.

in fierce rivalrysex is a dialogue. The communication between the germaphobic Canadian and the icy-cool bisexual begins entirely with sexual desire. Tierney neatly frames his handsome face and chiseled body as the two explore each other physically. Their toned silhouettes are formidable on the rink, but they bring each other pleasure in the bedroom. What begins as transactional sex, the thrill of sleeping with one’s greatest rival, develops into a mutual vocabulary of erotic understanding. Elijah and Shane are both high-performance athletes who have taken turns hoisting trophies and being MVPs, but there’s a desire inside them that hockey can’t quell. It’s a longing for what each other doesn’t have and can’t have. Tierney isolates sex as the easiest and (emotionally) least painful way to experience such intimacy.

From the beginning, it’s no secret that in this show exciting scenes are integral to the plot. However, they are not free and there are no artificial penises. Instead, just enough skin is exposed to hint at the act through clever camera work as the camera tracks their reactions. Their foreplay is a showdown on the ice, props to editors Veronique Barbe and Arthur Tarnowski, who cut between the hockey players fighting on the board and cut intense sex scenes as if they were art. This is what makes Tierney’s show stand out. It’s vulgar, but stylish and evocative, with interesting cinematography as the moment slowly builds from extravagance to romance.

Sex scenes aren’t the reason fans hate them

As the episodes pass, the sex scenes give way to something else, something completely more dangerous than physical attraction: longing. The longing between the two men was always bubbling beneath the surface, but it seems strange to call it that. fierce rivalry A slow burn when the main characters have sex exactly halfway through the first episode. But the term fits perfectly. Their relationship is filled with repressed desire, which blossoms slowly in a dimly lit hotel room, but when they meet in broad daylight at Ilya’s house, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, that desire is laid bare. After sleeping together in Ilya’s bed, they have sex on Ilya’s couch, and suddenly the situation between them seems all too domestic.

Thanks to the sex scenes and the chemistry that builds between Williams and Story, their physical relationship becomes unavoidably emotional and their intimacy devastating. Sex was once the way they communicated, but when they start speaking, everything slows down and Tierney’s show reaches a euphoric climax.

Add all this up, fierce rivalry is a case study that points out that sex scenes aren’t what turns fans away. The show’s rise in popularity may seem explosive, but it’s still far from the only explicitly queer representation on screen. Just recently, interview with vampire, travel companion and recent BDSM movies pillion. fierce rivalry The show isn’t entirely groundbreaking, nor is it particularly groundbreaking in its depiction of gay sex, but its intimacy and unabashed attitude toward including sex as dialogue makes it stand out in today’s sanitized television landscape.

fierce rivalry is currently streaming on Crave in Canada and HBO in the United States. The show will be released in the UK from January 10 on Sky and streaming service NOW.