Heated Rivalry Actor Finally Cleared Up A Timeline Detail That Was Nagging At Me

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The new gay hockey series, Heated Rivalry, which you can stream on HBO Max, has become incredibly popular since its release in November. Fans are loving it – several episodes have received almost perfect ratings on IMDb. I was confused about one detail in the show’s timeline, but thankfully, one of the actors recently explained it.

The first season of Heated Rivalry is based on Rachel Reid’s popular romance novel of the same name. For those who’ve read the Game Changers series, Heated Rivalry is the second book. The first book, Game Changer, tells the story of Scott and Kip. If you’ve already watched Heated Rivalry, you’ll know that Scott and Kip’s relationship unfolds during the eight-year period covered in the series. Their story is closely connected to Shane and Ilya’s, which is why Episode 3 provides a backstory on how Scott and Kip first got together.

But when the show began editing footage, François Arnaud, the actor who played Scott, revealed to the Smith Sisters on Sirius XM that they ran into a problem with the timeline.

There was a problem with the timing in how we filmed it. While many parts were well-planned, the transitions between the two storylines weren’t clear, and the editing team struggled to connect them. We originally shot the scenes as if only six months passed between Kip’s birthday and the Cup, but it now appears to be three years.

I was so caught up in the excitement of the show that I didn’t even realize there was a timeline error when I first finished Episode 5. The series had already jumped around in time so much that I assumed I’d simply gotten confused somewhere along the way. It was great to see Connor Storrie and Seth Meyers joke about it on Late Night – Heated Rivalry really moves quickly through the years!

@latenightseth ♬ original sound – Late Night with Seth Meyers

Okay, Hollanov’s complicated eight-year relationship is legendary, but on this show, the fact that Kip and Scott were apart for three years before getting back together on the ice is a really long time! It makes you wonder: Had they both stayed single? Had they even talked during those three years? And why did Scott even invite Kip to the game after all that time?

I loved reading Game Changer because Scott and Kip actually worked through their issues pretty quickly! It was so satisfying to see them get back together before the big game, and that kiss on the ice was the perfect ending. It felt really hopeful and resolved, which I appreciated.

I’m happy we’ve figured out the timeline issue, but some questions still need answers. Sadly, filming was already finished when the problem was discovered. To maintain consistency, the actor who played the Canadian Sniper explained that producers had to revise his speech in the final episode to align with the corrected timeline.

In Episode 6, a specific line was finalized in editing, and I remember delivering the line, ‘Fear is a powerful thing, but this year I found something even more powerful.’ We actually filmed it as, ‘This year, I found the thing that is more powerful,’ but ultimately decided it couldn’t happen this year in the story.

You can watch “Heated Rivalry” on HBO Max, which costs $10.99 per month or more. A subscription is required to stream all six episodes of this popular hockey romance. Check out the deal here.

It’s amazing how well the speech came together after editing. I didn’t even notice a line had been removed – they did a seamless job.

I get why the characters left when they did, considering the changes to the story. Six months would have fit Scott and Kip’s relationship better, but it wouldn’t have worked for Shane and Ilya. Ultimately, Heated Rivalry focuses on Hollanov’s journey, and sometimes that means Scott and Kip’s story takes a backseat.

I’m excited to see more of the Admiral’s captain and his partner in the next season, and it’s great that the author, Rachel Reid, agrees. As one character put it, their story isn’t over yet!

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2026-01-18 03:39