{"id":212420,"date":"2026-01-02T01:14:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T01:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/212420\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T01:14:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T01:14:07","slug":"even-andy-cohen-and-anderson-cooper-obsess-over-heated-rivalry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/212420\/","title":{"rendered":"Even Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper Obsess Over ‘Heated Rivalry’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAlthough hockey drama Heated Rivalry<\/a><\/a> seems to be the show everyone can\u2019t stop talking about, the author behind it still can\u2019t believe even celebrities like Andy Cohen<\/a> and Anderson Cooper <\/a>are obsessing over the steamy LGBTQ+ program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile hosting CNN\u2019s annual New Year\u2019s Eve Live<\/a> special Wednesday night, the Bravo host and CNN news anchor riffed on which character from the show they\u2019d be. \u201cYou\u2019re Ilya, and I\u2019m Shane,\u201d Cohen insisted. \u201cWhat?\u201d Cooper responded incredulously.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not either of them. I\u2019m Kip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRachel Reid, who penned the Game Changers book series on which the show is based, shared the silly exchange on Instagram. \u201cI keep thinking nothing can surprise me at this point, but\u2026\u201d she wrote. Actor Robbie G.K, who plays Kip, also weighed in. Tagging Cooper in a comment, he wrote, \u201cright answer king.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Andy Cohen + Anderson Cooper are already TIPSY <\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t Heated Rivalry!\u201d<\/p>\n

Them bickering about why Anderson won\u2019t sleep in Andy\u2019s bed before devolving into who they would be in Heated Rivalry is the CNN I want on New Years \ud83d\ude05\ud83d\ude05 #CNNNYE<\/a> #NewYears2026<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zhfaDUyD4h<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dustin Cone (@Dustin_Cone) January 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tLater in the night, Cohen asked Grammy-award winning singer Brandi Carlile her thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cDo lesbians give a damn about the Canadian hockey gay romance series, Heated Rivalry?\u201d Cohen asked. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s all I can think about,\u201d Carlile deadpanned, causing Cooper to double over in laughter. \u201cIt\u2019s all I can think about. I can\u2019t even sleep at night without thinking about [it].\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd during a video call with late night host Stephen Colbert, an exasperated Cooper wondered if Heated Rivalry had made \u201ceveryone insane\u201d when Colbert joked he was a \u201cbossy bottom\u201d in his relationship. \u201cIs this a Heated Rivalry effect,\u201d Cooper asked. \u201cWhat is going on?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tThe NSFW Canadian romance series, which is airing on HBO Max, follows nemeses hockey players Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) who develop a secret, steamy relationship off the ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s about two people learning about who they are and what their relationship is through fucking,\u201d creator Jacob Tierney previously told Rolling Stone<\/a>. \u201cThe only times they\u2019re being honest with each other is when they\u2019re having sex. Otherwise, it\u2019s loads of bluster. It\u2019s loads of pretending. It\u2019s loads of two people who don\u2019t, frankly, understand what they\u2019re feeling and who don\u2019t really get it takes a long time for their emotions to catch up to what their bodies are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n