Fans of the hit hockey romance Heated Rivalry received a double dose of drama this week. Just as Crave and HBO Max officially announced the series had been renewed for a second season, the cast found themselves defending the show’s authenticity against sharp criticism from fellow actor Jordan Firstman.
The controversy began when Firstman, known for his role in I Love LA, gave a candid interview to Vulture in which he unfavorably compared the intimate moments in Heated Rivalry to those in his own show. Firstman argued that the series, which follows the secret romance between rival hockey superstars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, failed to capture the reality of queer intimacy.
“I’m sorry, I watched those first two episodes of Heated Rivalry, and it’s just not gay,” Firstman told Vulture. “It’s not how gay people f–k. There’s so few things that actually show gay sex.”
Firstman went on to praise a specific scene in I Love LA as a benchmark for realism, stating, “A straight guy could not write that. They don’t know what the camaraderie of gay sex is.”
The comments quickly reached the cast of the Canadian drama, prompting them to respond to the allegations that their work lacked authenticity. François Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter in the series, took to Instagram to address the critique directly, challenging the idea that there is a singular queer experience.
“Is there only one way to have ‘authentic’ gay sex on TV?” Arnaud wrote in a post on his Instagram Stories. “Should the sex that closeted hockey players have look like the sex that sceney LA gay guys have?”
Hudson Williams, who leads the series as Shane Hollander, also weighed in on the debate. Williams reposted Arnaud’s defense to his own Instagram Story but chose to diffuse the tension with a diplomatic endorsement of Firstman’s work.
“But truly go watch I Love LA!” Williams added in his caption. “Jordan and the cast are great!!”
Despite the online friction, Heated Rivalry is enjoying massive commercial success. According to Bell Media, the show stands as Crave’s number one Original series debut on record, with viewership jumping nearly 400% since its premiere. The sex scene discourse has done little to dampen enthusiasm for the series; in fact, the online buzz likely contributed to the swift greenlight for season two.
As the series prepares to adapt the next chapter of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, it remains to be seen if the production team will adjust their approach to intimacy or stick to the style that has already won over a massive global audience. For now, fans can catch new episodes of Heated Rivalry on Fridays on Crave and HBO Max.