“Heated Rivalry,” the show that has taken over pop culture, premiered on HBO Max in late November and amassed a huge following. It soared to the “Top Watched” shows on HBO Max charts. On TikTok, “#heatedrivalry” has over 450,000 posts, with multiple posts getting over 2 million likes. “Heated Rivalry” has also become a cultural phenomenon that has gone beyond the social media scene. With hot yoga studios, SoulCycle, and CorePower all hosting “Heated Rivalry” theme nights. Even Bethesda’s own Soulfire yoga hosted a “‘Heated Rivalry’ theme night” on Friday, January 31. Clubs have also jumped on the craze over the show, hosting “Heated Rivalry” dance parties. For instance, DC’s 9:30 Club is hosting three dance parties over a span of only two weeks. DC’s biggest venues, such as the Anthem, are hosting “Heated Rivalry”-themed nights. The food magazine Bon Appétit also posted “The Unofficial ‘Heated Rivalry’ Cookbook.” The stars of “Heated Rivalry” were announced as Torchbearers for the Milan Olympics. It seems that every facet of American culture has been infested with the “Heated Rivalry” enthusiasm.
The show has also increased acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. The show focuses on a gay romance between two closeted professional hockey players. Heterosexual romances have long been represented in movies and TV shows, but storylines solely based around homosexual romances have been underrepresented in the TV industry for decades. Gay & Lesbian Alliance against defmation better known as GLAAD, found that “The percentage of LGBTQ series regulars on scripted primetime series on the five broadcast networks is 8.6 percent.” Bethesda-Chevy Chase Senior Ariella Klugman notes, “There aren’t really many shows that I feel like are similar to this. There aren’t really many shows with, like, a gay couple being the main focus.” With this unprecedented representation of the LGBTQ+ community comes more awareness for the community as well.
“Heated Rivalry” is a representation of LGBTQ+ people, and this may encourage more closeted people to feel comfortable with their homosexuality.
The Capitals recently celebrated Pride Night to the soundtrack from “Heated Rivalry,” again spreading more acceptance for the community. Even the National Hockey League commissioner, Gary Bettman, commented on the show, telling reporters that he “binged” all six episodes of the miniseries “in one night.”
The show has also received backlash due to the explicit nature of some of the scenes throughout the show. Some argue that the show is inappropriate or “graphic” due to the gay sex scenes. However, many also argue that the show is only receiving such backlash due to the homosexual nature of the intimate scenes shown. Other shows, such as Euphoria or Bridgerton, have graphic scenes but have not received as much backlash. The star of the show, Hudson Williams, addressed this trend on the Andy Cohen show: “If that were a straight intimate scene, it wouldn’t be talked about in the way.”
B-CC Senior Grace Timmons said, “If it were a love story between straight people, people would not be saying that. I honestly think that because it’s gay people, people have not been exposed to media like sexual media between gay couples, so they’re not used to it, so that’s why they’re calling it graphic.”
The demographics of people watching “Heated Rivalry” are very diverse, with many gay men watching the show. However, a large number of straight women are watching the show, many have theorised why this exhibits gender envy, minimized power dynamics, and most importantly, lessened misogyny. Commentators on TikTok have commented on this one user by the username of @Serenity said, “But what really gets me too with Rose is how she drops her dress and slowly walks up like it’s a performance or show. I know it’s not the point of that scene at all, but it just makes me think about how women feel like they have to put on this sexual performance for men instead of also getting to just be ‘excited’ and eager like Shane and Ilay are on the stairs.”
TikToker @hannabella posted a ten-minute video explaining why the show has made such a big impact on her, saying, “There is no inherent power dynamic between them, no underlying expectations that one person must be smaller, softer, gentler, easier, or more accommodating because of their gender. They are both allowed to be strong and vulnerable at the same time, and also masculine without being threatening. And watching that as a straight woman is deeply frustrating because I crave that freedom within love.” She added, “I found myself envying being a buff, strong, gay man being in a relationship with another buff, strong, gay man.”
This trend among straight women who resonate with the show is widespread. According to HBO Max approximately two-thirds of viewers by the finale were women. One smaller demographic watching the show is straight men. The hockery podcast @empty.netters, hosted by two straight heterosexual men, did a live reaction to them watching “Heated Rivalry.” Their reactions got millions of views and emphasized how little heterosexual men know about gay sex. The show has been celebrated by one TikTok user by the name of Amila, who posted saying, “I am obsessed with these three straight men breaking down ‘Heated Rivalry.’”
Overall, Heated Rivalry is changing how we watch television and bringing more awareness to the LGBTQ+ community for the better of everyone. Next time you are searching for a show to watch, consider Heated Rivalry and sit back with some popcorn!
