Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper Debate Which ‘Heated Rivalry’ Character They Are During New Years Special: “You’re Ilya, And I’m Shane”
Crave and HBO Max’s hunky hockey romance Heated Rivalry got a surprise shoutout during CNN’S New Year’s Eve Live special, hosted by besties Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.
The longtime friends began riffing about the show after Cooper mentioned that he was having trouble sleeping in a bed that Cohen seemingly gifted him. “Something about sleeping in your bed… It just, I don’t know,” Cooper said.
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Cohen then clarified that he gifted Cooper the bed frame, not the mattress. “I thought that it made us like closer,” Cohen told him. “Like better brothers, or something.”
With a laugh, Cooper responded, “This isn’t Heated Rivalry.”
The comment seemed to spark something in Cohen as the pair began giggling about the reference. “Oooh, Heated Rivalry,” Cohen said. He then patted Cooper’s shoulder and lovingly called him Ilya, referring to Connor Storrie‘s character on the show.
But Cooper outrightly rejected Cohen’s assessment of which Heated Rivalry character they are. In fact, the CNN anchor didn’t want to be either of the hunky hockey players.
“Of the two of us, you’re Ilya and I’m Shane,” Cohen told him.
“What?! I”m not either of them. I’m Kip,” Cooper responded, referring to Robbie G.K.‘s character.
The exchange earned the attention of Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid, who shared screenshots of the moment to her Instagram Story. “I keep thinking nothing can surprise me at this point, but…,” she wrote. G.K. also posted the exchange on social media.
Heated Rivalry later came up several times during the New Years Eve Live special, with even Stephen Colbert and singer Brandi Carlile giving it a nod. At one point, Colbert jokingly called himself “a bossy bottom,” prompting Cooper to ask, “Has Heated Rivalry made everybody insane?! Is this the Heated Rivalry effect?! What’s going on?!”
But Carlile shared during a special segment called “Do! Lesbians! Give a damn?!” that Heated Rivalry is keeping her up at night.
“It’s all I can think about. I can’t even sleep at night without thinking about it,” she confessed.
The hit romance series stars Storrie and Hudson Williams as rival hockey players who begin having an intense, years-long love affair while keeping their sexualities a secret to protect their careers.
The six-episode series debuted on Canadian streaming platform Crave before premiering in the United States Nov. 28 on HBO Max. According to Variety, the series has become Crave’s most-watched original series ever and HBO Max’s top-rated non-animated acquired series since the streamer launched in 2020. It also ranks among the top five scripted debuts on HBO Max.
Heated Rivalry Season 1 is streaming now on HBO Max.
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