Thursday, January 22, 2026

“Heated Rivalry” Stars — Unknown Two Months Ago — Now So Hot They’re Carrying the Olympic Torch in Milan: Can They Even Skate?

Share

The story of the stars of “Heated Rivalry” is unrivaled for its explosive nature.

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie were unknown to everyone except their families two months ago.

The series — a kind of gay hockey Hallmark miniseries — dropped on HBO Max on November 28th.

Since then, the show and the actors have experienced a kind of Beatlemania. They just did a press tour that caused intense pandemonium among their viewers. They’re walking runways, chatting with Jimmy Fallon, and giving opinions on every topic.

Now they’re going to carry the Olympic torch in Milan, Italy on February 6th, the night the Winter Olympics in Milan, Cortina begin. The ceremony will be broadcast on NBC, which is no doubt popping Champagne corks.

Can these guys even skate? It seems like the show I watched was all cutaways.

You’d think “Heated Rivalry” had been on the air since September. But they only had a six episode season. A second season is not shooting yet. How will these actors, who’ve become overnight sensations, return to their show with straight faces? Will the show be able to continue, or will fans be disappointed by the next go ’round.

We’ll see what happens next. (Think “Yellowstone.”)

PS The instrumental soundtrack to the show, by someone called Peter Peter, is number 14 on iTunes! TV tie-ins rarely produce original musical hits, and not instrumental. What is this?

Donate to Showbiz411.com

Showbiz411 is now in its 13th year of providing breaking and exclusive entertainment news. This is an independent site, unlike the many Hollywood trades that are owned by one company. To continue providing news that takes a fresh look at what's going on in movies, music, theater, etc, advertising is our basis. Reader donations would be greatly appreciated, too. They are just another facet of keeping fact based journalism alive.
Thank you


Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

Read more

In Other News