In Sex Reviews, writers offer a sober critical assessment of the sex scenes in new releases. This installment contains spoilers for Episodes 1–3 of Heated Rivalry.
Heated Rivalry is having a moment. Since premiering on the Canadian streaming service Crave and, stateside, HBO Max on Nov. 28, the six-episode romantic drama has become a hit, thanks to a devoted fan base and the unholy chemistry between its leads. Created by Jacob Tierney (Letterkenny) and adapted from Rachel Reid’s bestselling Game Changers novels, the series charts a secret, eight-year love affair between hockey stars—and rivals—Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), set against the high-pressure world of professional men’s hockey. The show also follows Scott Hunter (François Arnaud), the closeted captain of the New York Admirals, and his romance with Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.), a smoothie-making aspiring grad student.
In keeping with Reid’s books, Heated Rivalry does not hold back on the sex—not even a little. Some scenes are so unabashedly explicit that even Grindr has weighed in: The app recently posted screenshots from Episode 2, specifically a montage of Shane and Ilya sexting, paired with a caption that riffs on one of the show’s now-iconic lines: “You were hard, weren’t you? For how long? The whole episode?” An excellent question. One that Slate is, of course, equipped to answer. Below, Slate contributor David Mack and contributing editor (and “Hollanov” enthusiast) Angelina Mazza break down exactly how hot these scenes run.
Episode 1, 13:32: Ilya Cruises Shane in the Shower and Jerks Off
Angelina: We open on Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s gloriously bare butt cheeks in the shower. They’ve just wrapped a joint commercial shoot on the ice—engineered, we learn, by Ilya, who is catastrophically, irreversibly down bad for Shane’s freckles. In the locker room, it’s obvious that both men are very much checking out each other’s absurdly, stunningly naked bodies. (Yes, I’m piling on the adverbs, but this scene earns them.) Shane gets hard; Ilya notices. Shane panics and tells him to fuck off. Ilya ignores him—he’s hard too. He starts jerking off, and Shane, in full-blown capital-G Gay Panic, just watches. He pulls himself together long enough to insist: not here.
David, coming in fresh without reading the books, what’s your take on this first scene?
David: You’re right: I haven’t read any of the books in this series. But I’ll say that when I first saw this clip teased on my TikTok feed over the weekend, I practically broke the speed of sound in racing to my TV to hit Play on HBO Max. I can’t think of another scene that would work better as an introduction to the tenor of this show. I found it shocking for the obvious reasons: The sex is getting introduced incredibly early into a show that those of us who haven’t read the books may have assumed would feature a much slower build. Also, of course, we get our first glimpse of the butts that have driven every gay man I know into existential crisis about their own glutes and made us all commit to a new squat routine. But I think the way this scene builds is—and forgive my choice of word here—a masterstroke: Stolen glances give way to knowing stares until we finally realize just what Ilya is now doing with his hand. In the changing room after, we also get our first real glimpse of the dominant–submissive dynamic that is slowly going to build between them. When Ilya asks Shane for his room number, Shane seems in a trance and obediently provides it. Heated Rivalry, you HAVE my attention.
Angelina: I should mention: This isn’t actually the first sex scene in the book. Reid famously opens in media res with a very explicit prologue, and I’ve had multiple friends text me to say they started it on the subway this week but became too self-conscious to keep reading in public. Cowards.
Episode 1, 17:09: Ilya Comes to Shane’s Hotel Room, and They Get Off Together for the First Time
David: To start, I did appreciate that Ilya has the decency not to tell Shane he had just bumped into his mother in the elevator, an admission that might well have killed the vibe. I also found it endlessly endearing how nervous Shane clearly is, unsure of what to wear (a suit and tie?!) and whether to keep the lamp on or off. It’s no surprise, then, that Ilya swiftly takes control, pushing Shane against the wall, grabbing his face, and kissing him. I love that the rest of this scene—Shane’s first time with a man—unfolds in real time. There’s no cutting away or fading to black. It really makes their nervousness and slight awkwardness seem real. There are a couple of little details that stand out to me here too: Shane sucking Ilya’s thumb? Hot. Ilya rubbing Shane’s pec as he performs oral sex? Hot. Them still calling each other by their last names during this whole thing?! A tad “no homo,” but also admittedly hot.
When Ilya finally leaves—after teasing that he was going to skip out on Shane before giving him the chance to come—I love the shot of Shane alone in bed. He’s clearly so happy at having had the chance to do something he’s always wanted, but he’s also overwhelmed by what this means for him going forward. A relatable feeling after your first gay experience!
Angelina, as a fan of the books, what was it like for you to watch this come to life on-screen?
Angelina: Oh, thank God you mentioned the thumb. Let’s give it up for Ilya’s thumb! This scene is a scorcher, and remarkably loyal to the book. Probably my favorite sex scene this season so far. One thing that jumped out immediately: the sparse scoring. By my count, the scene runs nine minutes and 25 seconds, and for a stretch, there’s no music at all, which seems rare. You really hear all the, uhhhhh, … sucking and fucking. Can I say that here?
I also love the real-time feel. It’s a smart counterpoint to the rest of the show, which moves fairly quickly. To be clear: I have zero complaints about the pace. The whole point is that these two never have enough time together! But I appreciate how the episode slows down here, giving us these moments when Shane and Ilya communicate and negotiate sex instead of cutting straight to a montage. Our lovers are constantly checking in and trying to articulate what they want—even when they’re nervous or not exactly sure. I love how Ilya asks, “What do you want?” and how often the line recurs throughout the series: I want this. I want more. I want you. It reveals who they are as people: curious, attentive to each other’s needs and feelings. As K.J. Charles, another romance novelist I admire, puts it in this terrific blog post: “Plot is character in action. So is consent.”
Episode 1, 35:26: Shane Comes to Ilya’s Hotel Room, but They Have to be Quiet Because Scott Hunter Is in the Room Next Door
David: It takes Shane half a second to go from being pissed that Ilya left him waiting in the hotel hallway and risk being seen by Scott Hunter to him throwing himself at Ilya. I mean, I get it! It’s been seven months since he got laid, and Ilya looks like, well, that! Once again, Ilya assumes the dominant position right away, commanding Shane to his knees before lifting him up and carrying him to the bed. Then we’re treated to a shot that may be one of the most incredible things ever put on film: a wide-angle glimpse of Ilya going down on Shane and exposing what can only be described as the two watermelons that make up his butt. (See what I said about the squat routines?) The negotiations that take place next about whether Ilya is going to top Shane also feel very real. I love that we see Ilya playing on Shane’s psychology by asking whether he’s scared to bottom. (Shane has made it clear he doesn’t like Ilya thinking he’s better than him.) But I was also shocked to hear Shane sheepishly tell Ilya that he has practiced before with a “thing” (i.e., dildo), which does prompt the question of when he acquired said sex toy.
Angelina, does this growing dom–sub vibe seem as apparent to you? Is it like this in the books?
Angelina: Absolutely. Showrunner Jacob Tierney recently called Ilya a “soft dom,” a label that feels apt. And I am completely obsessed with Shane’s leap into Ilya’s … arms? Face? I have it looping in my brain nonstop.
I also love that Ilya teases Shane about bottoming. It’s lightly antagonistic, but it’s out of care. Ilya’s making sure Shane feels comfortable, while also being clear about what he wants. He’s basically modeling consent and communication for Shane, who is less experienced, and I find that incredibly compelling. And also very hot.
Episode 1, 42:59: Ilya Briefly Takes Svetlana on a Dining Room Table
Angelina: There’s a snowstorm in Montreal, so Ilya’s game is canceled. Worse: He can’t get to Shane’s apartment to fuck him. Noooooo. He heads to his Boston home, where his sexy friend Svetlana greets him wearing nothing but his jersey. She spots a text on his phone from “Jane”—the contact name he has saved Shane under—and teases him. True to form, Ilya, king of using sex to avoid his shit, takes her on his dining room table. The point of this scene: to establish that Ilya is a bisexual icon who looks good in a tuque. Bring back the tuque! David, thoughts on this mercifully brief moment of heterosexual intimacy?
David: To paraphrase Tyra Banks, get the straights off the TV. I’m not watching that!
Episode 2, 0:59: Ilya Sexts Shane a Bunch and Sends a Dick Pic
Angelina: I love it when a romance includes texting. Someone who can banter over text? That’s sexy to me. This scene unfolds as a montage of our lovers messaging each other while working out or watching each other’s games. The texts get progressively raunchier—though, let’s be real, Ilya is doing most of the heavy lifting. The highlights: “What’s a girl to do on a lonely night in Montreal?” “Want to come while you’re in Boston?” and the ever-classic “I still want that asshole.”
It all culminates in a surprise dick pic that Ilya sends while Shane is on the road, sharing a room with his teammate Hayden Pike, Montreal’s 15th-best player. David, how are you feeling about this flirty texting montage? Also, please rate that dick pic on a scale of 1 to 10.
David: I loved this sequence, and not just because of that picture (which I rate a solid 6/10. Sorry! It’s hard to make a front-facing angle like that look good!). I find that so much of good sexting is about teasing and banter, and you can really feel that tension build over all these messages. This is also sort of the most we’ve seen these two actually communicate, and it’s sweet! Notice how, during one exchange, they each are chewing on something: Shane nibbles on his hoodie’s drawstring, while Ilya bites his necklace. They’re SOULMATES. It’s also sweet how easily ruffled Shane is by some of these messages, especially that surprise dick pic, which stops the music in an ingenious moment of editing. It is shocking! I mean, it’s apparently 9 inches?! Good luck, Shane!
Episode 2, 8:22: Ilya Tops Shane for the First Time, and It’s Actually Romantic
David: I think it’s impressive the way this scene defies what we’ve come to expect from depictions of gay sex on film or TV. To start, it’s more sweet than scandalous, thanks to the choice of ethereal music. But more than that, like with other intimate scenes on this show, the camera doesn’t exactly pan away or fade to black. We see Ilya lift Shane’s legs up, presumably to begin playing with his ass, then we see the moment that Shane actually takes him in. And then they show not one but two different positions in which these two go at it. And then, just when you think these two are done with all this anal sex, we get ANOTHER shot of Ilya pounding Shane as the latter grips the pillow for dear life. (Shane saying, “Holy shit, Rozanov!” while Ilya’s inside him is admittedly quite funny, as is Ilya saying “Oh, God, Hollander!” right as they both come. These two are bros, for sure.)
In the scene after, in the stairwell, Shane definitely has the satisfied air of someone who has just been dicked down properly for the first time in his life. But I did notice that when Shane tenderly kisses Ilya on the forehead in bed postcoitus, Ilya takes it as a sign that he needs to get out of there fast. He’s afraid to catch feelings, right, Angelina?
Angelina: Yep. You can run, Ilya, but you can’t hide. And, OK, I have to ask: Where is the lube? Reid’s books are full of it. For a show this good at capturing all the things we usually don’t see in TV sex scenes, the absence of lube feels … conspicuous. What gives?
David: Yeah, there is a long history of shows and movies forgetting to lube up. And yet they did make sure to show condoms here, which I suppose is accurate, given that PrEP was just taking off around this era (and these two closeted guys wouldn’t have been on it).
Episode 2, 23:59: Ilya’s Former Russian Lover Tries and Fails to Seduce Him by Biting His Lip
Angelina: Many fans assumed that any scene with Ilya, Sasha, and Svetlana could only mean one thing: a threesome. Not so! During the Sochi Olympics, Ilya reunites with his beautiful friends in the bathroom at a fancy gala, where his former lover Sasha is doing cocaine. Sasha tries the classic lip-bite/crotch-grab routine, but Ilya turns him down. It’s a sign that Shane is rubbing off on him (ha ha). The Ilya we met at the start of the series would’ve gone for it—he liked trouble. Now he likes Shane.
David, where did this near‑dalliance land for you?
David: This is the only real sequence I did not find very sexy, even if I did think this is the best Connor Storrie has looked as Ilya throughout the whole show. I think it might be because his hair is combed properly? Anyway, Ilya is clearly not into it, and Sasha can’t seem to read the room. That’s cocaine for you! Ilya obviously has a lot on his mind: his family, his Olympic failures, his homeland, and his feelings for Shane. But one thing he knows he doesn’t want is Sasha, and neither do we. Ilya, get back to your eager-to-please Canadian lover!
Episode 2, 31:05: Ilya and Shane Almost Blow Each Other in a Dirty Bathroom, and Ilya Later Tops Shane With More of a Dom–Sub Vibe
David: If I had been ghosted for six whole months by the guy who took my gay virginity, I’d be as pissed as Shane is. When he’s forced to present an award with Ilya, then, it’s no wonder that he has to retreat into a bathroom for some existential alone time. But Shane’s genuinely hurt feelings give way pretty quickly to some intense physical longing as soon as Ilya touches him. The two debate who’s going to suck whom “on this filthy bathroom floor” but then decide to link up later in Ilya’s penthouse suite. I also love the shot of them at the party, covertly texting each other room details. It’s their dirty little secret!
This next scene is, for my money, the hottest in the series so far. The way Ilya is in total control—sipping vodka with his shirt open, dragging a chair over to the bed, telling Shane to get undressed and start playing with himself—has been building between them for years at this point. Shane is more than happy to prove himself a certified Good Boy who deserves a reward. Ilya knows by now that Shane gets off when he’s being a cocky asshole, so he leans into that persona and teases him about the Stanley Cup. This time is going to be much different from their first penetrative sex earlier this episode. Just listen to the music: It’s like an unused theme from 2024’s Challengers. Shane needs Ilya, he tells him. This is lust, not love. He slithers across the bed and buries his face in Ilya’s pants, right before we once again see Ilya topping him.
Angelina, where does this rank for you in the smut we’ve been watching so far? What did you make of the aftermath, specifically Shane’s heartbroken draft text message about them not kissing?
Angelina: The Vegas sex scene is basically the moment in the Game Changers universe—so much so that Reid even rewrote it from Ilya’s POV as a little treat. Smutwise, it doesn’t quite top (ha ha) their first hotel encounter for me, but only because I wanted it to go on a bit longer. I kept thinking of Challengers too, not just because of the score, but because the camera volleys between Shane’s and Ilya’s faces during the “I need” moment, capturing the competitive spark of their entire dynamic and feeding it straight into the dom–sub charge. Again, nothing is hotter than two people saying exactly what they want.
But it’s the bathroom scene that really steals the show. Every time Ilya grabs Shane by the chin, I have a minor cardiac event. They should invent a whole new award just for the look in Shane’s eyes here—and another for his delivery of “Wow. Genetic.”
I’m also thrilled with how they handled Shane’s “We didn’t even kiss” line. This is the moment when he truly registers just how devastated he is that it didn’t happen. Turning it into a text he drafts—and immediately deletes—in an episode already built around their texting game? Genius. Bravo. And ouch.
Episode 3, 19:05: Scott and Kip Finally Do the Deed, Then Wake Up and Do It Again
Angelina: Scott is the protagonist of the first book in the series, Game Changer; Heated Rivalry is the second, though each can largely stand alone. Episode 3 basically condenses Game Changer’s plot, taking us from Shane and Ilya’s story to Scott’s. I can already hear the complaints from non–book readers brewing, so let me just say: Scott Hunter is the Game Changer. He’s the biggest hockey superstar around, and he’s Shane and Ilya’s queer elder. Put some respect on his name.
This episode follows Scott’s romance with Kip Grady, a smoothie-making aspiring grad student. It starts off very boy-meets-boy, almost Hallmark-esque, before getting steamy—just not quite Shane-and-Ilya steamy. Scott brings Kip back to his place after a gala because he is, understandably, still very closeted. The scene is darker visually than previous encounters on this show, but tonally it’s sweet and earnest. Kip can’t believe that Scott Hunter is into him, and Scott calls him beautiful while making very, very clear that he’s all in. Scott gives Kip a blow job, and then … dot dot dot.
I love how intense Scott is, and how he actually practices asking for what he wants. There’s the charming “Can I fuck you?” moment the next morning when Kip makes him a smoothie. That moment later gets reversed, and it’s just delightful. I’m happy for you, Scott Hunter. I really am.
David, how did this new dynamic land for you?
David: I know that some people hungry for more of the Shane-and-Ilya storyline are going to scream “bottle episode!” at all this, but I actually enjoyed it. Compared to the constant jumps forward in time in Episodes 1 and 2, I liked that this just sort of played out smoothly. I also liked that it felt as if we were doing more world-building—not just of the hockey world, but of the gay hockey world. I think it helps explain why Ilya and Shane are struggling so much.
And yes, this isn’t as steamy as Shane and Ilya, but I don’t think it’s meant to be. Kip is comfortably out of the closet, and Scott is older and more confident in what he wants—even if he can’t come out just yet. This is obviously not the first time for either of them, and it shows! Still, I was as surprised as Kip to see Scott standing there shirtless in his fancy lounge room, and I did find the way Scott lifts Kip up to take off his shirt before pushing him back down to be extremely hot. When he then tells Kip how beautiful he is, I was beyond charmed. Kip, you in danger, girl!
Episode 3, 26:22: Kip Becomes a Kept Man in Scott’s Apartment, Where They Go at It Like Rabbits for a Few Days
David: To start with, I love the costuming choice here for Kip: those slutty little glasses! No wonder Scott falls right into him when he comes home. He’s giving Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World Rebirth!
I also love how, in this montage, Scott and Kip are actually smiling as they roll around in bed and have sex with each other. Even as we see (and hear) Scott topping Kip, it’s followed by a shot of them smiling once again. Compared to Shane and Ilya, these two are instantly in love! I think these scenes do a great job of establishing how fun it is—at least in those early days—to allow yourself to fall headfirst into a romance like this. They’re playing house together! Were it not for the closet Scott refuses to come out of, it would almost be healthy! Still, there is a level of happiness that they could enjoy together, even if they can’t publicly be together. Angelina, how does this all compare to the books for you?
Angelina: I actually think TV Scott might be hotter—and more endearing—than Book Scott, which I credit to Arnaud’s performance. The way he delivers “I want you more than anything I’ve wanted in a long time”? Swoon. This sequence firmly puts Scott Hunter in contention for Really Great Butt, an award I fully expect to see handed out at next year’s Las Culturistas Culture Awards.
Overall
Angelina: We’ve reached the part of Sex Reviews where we ask ourselves: On a scale of 1 to 10, how horny did this series—or at least these first three episodes—make us? For me, this is a 10 out of 10. Even the non–sex scenes are sexy. I wanted to crawl inside my computer and live there. I would pay good money to see Jacob Tierney adapt every romance novel in the world. I am very much looking forward to getting back to our rivals-slash-lovers next week. Perhaps over a tuna melt?
David: I don’t think it’s surprising that I’m also going to give this show a 10 on the horny scale. I can’t recall another piece of television taking over my gay social media feed and group chats as swiftly and as smuttily as this has. God bless the Home Box Office for returning to its erotica roots and picking up this Canadian fuck fest so people outside the Great White North can have something to be aroused about this winter. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do some squats and learn the rules of ice hockey.
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