Heated Rivalry Star Reveals Pressure To Cut Kissing Scenes

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Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.

François Arnaud just revealed the shocking reason why Heated Rivalry was almost a very different show. The hockey romance series has turned into a phenomenon on streaming and social media ever since it premiered at the end of November. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie star as rival hockey players who develop a secret romance.

Heated Rivalry includes several steamy moments throughout the first season, but Arnaud explained that several of those scenes were almost cut entirely.

During an interview on CBS Mornings, the actor who plays Scott Hunter revealed that before Canadian streaming service Crave picked up the series, creator Jacob Tierney had pitched Heated Rivalry to a "big streamer," with executives giving him several notes about changes they wanted to make, including "no kissing until episode 5, and he's like, that's not what we're doing."

Tierney rejected the proposed changes, and Heated Rivalry landed on Crave, which allowed him to create the show he had always envisioned, even if it meant working with a smaller budget. Arnaud believes that is why fans are responding in such an overwhelming fashion online.

While it's not clear which streamer wanted those changes to be made, it appears to be a United States-based company because Arnaud added that he doesn't think a show like Heated Rivalry could have been made in the U.S.

Now that everyone has seen how much of a phenomenon Heated Rivalry has become, Arnaud hopes this serves as a "huge lesson" to executives in the entertainment industry, that they can make "niche" projects without huge celebrities and still find success.

"[HBO picked up Heated Rivalry] two weeks before the premiere and decided to air it on the same day as Crave, which is a Canadian streamer. And to be fair, though, I don’t think this show could have been made in the U.S. It was set up at a big streamer before, and they had so many notes and so many thoughts on what that show could be that Jacob decided to delete them and get it made in Canada, where it was, granted, a much smaller budget. But he was like, I can do the show that I want to make, and I think that’s what people are responding to. And I think, in a way, it’s a huge lesson for Hollywood people. This is a niche show, niche thing, no movie stars. And it’s a much bigger sensation...No kissing until episode 5, and he’s like, that’s not what we’re doing."

Heated Rivalry would have been a very different show if that unnamed "big streamer" had been in charge instead of Crave. It's possible the series wouldn't have become such a phenomenon if Tierney had been limited in what he could depict on-screen.

Critics and audiences alike clearly love the show just the way it is, so Tierney's partnership with Crave has been a win for everyone involved, including the fans.

Heated Rivalry is based on the Game Changers books by author Rachel Reid, who just announced that a new installment in the series, called Unrivaled, will be released on September 29.

The TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry has received overwhelming praise since its debut, with critics giving the series a jaw-dropping 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The current audience score is an equally stunning 95%.

As Arnaud noted, it was a very last-minute decision for HBO Max to pick up the U.S. rights to Heated Rivalry, which is what makes the show's popularity even more impressive.

Along with Williams, Storrie and Arnaud, Heated Rivalry also stars Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Robbie G.K. and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova.

The actors aren't leaving the hockey rink anytime soon, as Crave has already announced that Heated Rivalry season 2 is on the way. Filming is likely to get underway in the latter half of 2026, though a production schedule and release date haven't been revealed yet.