Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Heated Rivalry Episode 5.
Ahead of Heated Rivalry‘s fifth episode, “I’ll Believe in Anything,” the series saw Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) carrying on a secret fling and fighting to hide their growing feelings for each other – with one notable exception. The show’s third episode, “Hunter,” took a detour from Shane and Ilya’s story to focus on Scott Hunter (Francois Arnaud) and his romance with Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.), before returning to the main characters’ storyline the following week.
For fans unfamiliar with the Rachel Reid book series on which the show is basedit may have seemed confusing that Scott and Kip got their own episode, but everything comes together for the perfect payoff in the last few minutes of “I’ll Believe Anything.” Despite their painful rift in the last episode after Shane ended things with Ilya and started dating Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse), Shane and Ilya find their way back to each other in Episode 5. As the two become more serious, they struggle with maintaining secrecy, but a major development involving Scott and Kip in the episode’s closing moments gives them hope about their future.
‘Heated Rivalry’ Episode 5 Brings Shane and Ilya Closer Than Ever Before
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At the start of Episode 5, Shane and Rose go out to dinner, where she gently tells him that she has picked up on the fact that he’s gay. Shane opens up to Rose, and she supports him, giving him room to start his journey towards understanding and accepting his sexuality. The next time he sees Ilya is at the all-star game in Florida, where they finally clear the air after their time apart. Here, Shane and Ilya take the next step in becoming more than just a fling. Shane tells Ilya that he broke up with Rose and that he’s gay, and apologizes for the way he ended things last time. Shane then expresses his feelings to Ilya, but Ilya opens up about his life back home and the reasons why he would never be able to return to Russia if he came out. In the aftermath of an emotional night, they call each other by their first names again, establishing their relationship as something more than what it’d been in the past.
Shane and Ilya’s relationship only continues to develop more throughout the episode. When Ilya’s father (Yaroslav Poverlo) dies, he has to return to Russia and struggles with being around his family. Over the phone, Shane suggests that Ilya vent to him in Russian, even though he won’t be able to understand it. Ilya then tells Shane, in Russian, that he’s in love with him and doesn’t know what to do about it. Later in the episode, Shane gets hurt during a game against Boston, and Ilya then visits Shane in the hospital, where Shane invites Ilya to his cottage for the summer. At this point, they’re becoming increasingly serious about each other, but they still have to hide their relationship from everyone in their orbit.
Scott Risks Everything for Kip in ‘Heated Rivalry’ Episode 5
Scott and Kip’s episode ends on a sad note when they hit an impossible obstacle in their romance. Kip struggles with hiding their relationship, while Scott confesses that he won’t be able to come out for a few more years because of his sports career. They return at the end of Episode 5 for a phenomenal moment of payoff and one of the best scenes of the series so far. In May 2017, Shane is healing from his injuries and watching the playoffs with his parents. After New York defeats Boston, Scott leads his team to the ultimate victory, where they win the championship. Amidst the celebration, Scott is on the ice alone while his teammates are surrounded by their loved ones, and he looks out to where Kip is sitting in the stands with his best friend, Elena (Nadine Bhabha), and Kip’s dad (Matt Gordon).
In that moment, after the biggest accomplishment of his career, Scott takes a huge risk and brings Kip down onto the ice with him. Shane and Ilya watch through their respective screens, slowly catching on, as Scott leads Kip to the center of the rink and then kisses him in front of everyone. The room is full of applause, and Shane and Ilya are absolutely stunned. As for Scott and Kip, after having to keep their love for each other a secret for so long, they both have this beautiful moment of catharsis as they continue to embrace each other in front of the whole world.
Scott and Kip’s Public Kiss in ‘Heated Rivalry’ Episode 5 Gives Shane and Ilya Hope for Their Future
Immediately after watching Scott and Kip kiss on live TV, Ilya calls Shane and tells him that he’s coming to the cottage for the summer. Prior to that moment, the two of them felt like there was no real hope for a future where they could go public with their relationship and still play for the NHL. Scott is the first hockey player in the NHL to come out as gay, and does so publicly and proudly after a career-defining win, handing the trophy off to Carter (Kolton Stewart) so that he can go over to Kip. Watching this moment, Shane and Ilya realize that there is hope for them after all, because Scott coming out has changed the NHL forever (hence the title of his book, Game Changer).
Now, even though it won’t be immediate, Shane and Ilya can picture a future where they are able to love each other in public. Previously, Ilya was unable to accept Shane’s invitation to the cottage because the risk of people finding out about them was too great. Now, there is still that same risk, but there is also a world out there where they can have what Scott and Kip do. The episode ends on a hopeful note for Shane and Ilya’s relationship, and for the first time, they let themselves envision something more. Now, going into the season finale, Shane and Ilya have reason to believe that things could work out for them, which will definitely affect how they move forward in their relationship.
Heated Rivalry‘s Season 1 finale will be released Friday on Crave and HBO Max.
- Release Date
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November 28, 2025
- Network
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Crave
- Directors
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Jacob Tierney
Cast
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Connor Storrie
Ilya Rozanov
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Hudson Williams
Shane Hollander
