From Waiters to Stars: The Rise of 'Heated Rivalry'

Mon Feb 09 2026 00:56:48 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Discover how the low-budget series 'Heated Rivalry' became a global sensation, launching its stars to fame and redefining queer representation on screen.

Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, former waiters turned actors, have taken the world by storm through their roles in 'Heated Rivalry', a show about a forbidden romance between rival ice hockey players. Despite a modest budget and a cast of relative unknowns, the series has gained immense popularity, breaking records and drawing millions of fans. With a dedicated fanbase, 'Heated Rivalry' is reshaping how queer stories are told on screen, receiving international acclaim and prompting a significant increase in interest for its source material.

A few months ago Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were both working as waiters. Now they are the stars of Heated Rivalry, one of the most talked about shows in the world.

Adapted from a novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid, who writes 'sexually explicit queer romance novels about hockey players', Heated Rivalry chronicles a forbidden love affair between two rival ice hockey players.

The show was not an obvious runaway hit. It was created and produced in Canada on a minimal budget - reportedly less than C$5m ($3.6m; £2.6m) per episode. Its six episodes were filmed in Ontario in just over a month, with a cast led mostly by unknowns.

But since its debut in North America last November, Storrie, who plays Russian player Ilya Rozanov, and Williams, who plays Canadian Shane Hollander, have wracked up millions of fans, acted as torchbearers ahead of the Milan winter Olympics and appeared on a host of late-night TV shows.

Storrie is set to host Saturday Night Live at the end of this month, while Williams - who reportedly still lives with his mum in Vancouver - recently shared a stage with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at an Ottawa film industry event.

But its explosion into the zeitgeist since its debut last November has propelled its cast - and the people behind the scenes - into the stratosphere. Its penultimate episode has broken records to tie with Breaking Bad for the highest-rated episode ever on entertainment website IMDB. Now streaming in the UK and across the globe, the show's runaway success has the potential to reshape the television landscape.

Life has also changed drastically for author Rachel Reid, who recently told the BBC she thought her books were 'unadaptable'. Her audiobook catalogue has seen a 1,500% global increase in listening since the show's debut according to Spotify, whilst her publisher HarperCollins said on Thursday her collection of hockey-based queer love stories have enjoyed 'stunning sales'. Seven years after its original publication, the original novel became a New York Times bestseller.