[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episodes 1-3]
Even before it aired, Episode 3 of HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry was already its most controversial. After the two-episode premiere caused the internet to lose its mind and its decorum, rumors began to swirl that the third episode would take a step back from the erotic rivals-to-lovers story of hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) to tell a different kind of love story: The far-more-subtle coupling of Shane’s former teammate, Scott Hunter (François Arnaud), and his barista boyfriend, Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.).
Even the mere hint of an episode without the sexual escapades of Shane and Ilya had some fans online vowing to skip the episode altogether and tune back in for Episode 4.