Why Episode 5 of ‘Heated Rivalry’ Has Gone Viral

But why has Episode 5 in particular led to such an outpouring of love? Here’s what to know.

What Is ‘Heated Rivalry’?

Based on Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” romance novel series, two hockey all-stars fall for each other in “Heated Rivalry.”

Situated within a league that has no openly queer players, Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) feel trapped, especially as their feelings for each other grow.

Full of longing and NSFW scenes, the series has been hailed as a perfect romance novel adaptation by fans and has brought new ones into the fold, hence the crowd at Francis’ local bar.

What Happens in Episode 5 of ‘Heated Rivalry’?

Episode 5 continues the dramatic highs and lows of Shane and Ilya. Notable moments include Shane ending his relationship with Rose Landry, Shane getting hurt and taken off the ice on a stretcher with a distraught Ilya looking on, and Ilya confessing he loves Shane (that is, in Russian, a monologue that “Heated Rivalry” fans who are native Russian speakers are especially loving.)

But in its final few moments, after four episodes of angst, there’s a reprieve, one that fans experienced with joy — and documented for social media.

To explain it, we have to go back to Episode 3, which took a detour from Shane and Ilya’s story to focus on another hockey player, New York star Scott Hunter (Francois Arnaud).

While he’s older than Shane and Ilya, who are both in their mid-20s, he’s struggling with the same issue. His meet-cute with an aspiring art historian named Kip (Robbie G.K.) led to a real love, but he feels unable to come out. With Kip tired of living under the shadow of a secret romance, they’re at a standstill.

Then comes the ending of Episode 5, when Scott’s New York Admirals win the Stanley Cup. As his teammates embrace friends and family on the ice, Scott moves to the edge of the rink and scans the crowd, looking for someone.

Shane and Ilya watch the moment unfold on the TV. That means the fictional characters and the “Heated Rivalry” audience experience the shock of what Scott does next: He gestures for Kip to come down to the ice. Then, he kisses him on live TV.

Meanwhile, Shane and Ilya seemingly have their own revelations of what this might mean for their relationship.

At the end of the episode, Ilya calls Shane and takes him up on his offer to spend two weeks alone at his home. For the first time in years, they’ll have quality together.

The episode ends with Ilya telling Shane, “I’m coming to the cottage.”

Why Is Episode 5 Such a Big Deal?

While “Heated Rivalry” has been building momentum since its premiere, Episode 5 has inspired a particular outpouring of emotion.

Ronald Charles Chavis filmed his husband, Refeal Shtivi, weeping after watching the episode in a video shared to TikTok. Speaking to TODAY.com, the couple say the episode’s “grand gesture” reminded them of their own story. Shtivi was encouraged to come out to the wider world after meeting Chavis in 2023.

“This coming out part in front of so many people, I did myself. I felt like the big release they were having. I felt super connected with that,” Shtivi says.

“Gay, straight — people want to know that they’re loved,” Chavis adds. “That was the beauty in that episode.”

Chavis calls the episode “cathartic” for viewers, especially after the four episodes of build-up.

“It was such a such a release for them that everybody watching that episode felt it. Because at one point it felt like we were all holding our breath, waiting, and when he did that, it was like it was a sign that everything was going to be OK,” Chavis says.

Dominic points to the widespread pop culture phenomenon of LGTBQ love stories ending in tragedy. Instead, at the end of “Heated Rivalry” Episode 5, a gay love story is “loudly celebrated” as the crowd in the stadium cheers, too.

“What was so great about it is that we finally got a huge happily ever after,” Dominic says. “When I watched it by myself, I was sobbing, because it’s like we are constantly fighting for our happily ever after.”

For Dominic, Episode 5’s ending is meta, with consequences reverberating both in the show and in the real world.

“I think seeing Scott choose Kip and bringing him on the ice was so triumphant, because sometimes that just never happens either in real life or in media portraits of gays in their relationship,” he says.

“Hopefully people will be inspired to live the truth that they’ve always wanted to,” he said. “If this is what’s happening right now mainstream media, I’m like, why can’t it happen in real life?”