Heated Rivalry has swept a major Canadian awards show, but even a prestigious win was not enough to stop star Hudson Williams from being exactly as delightfully unfiltered as fans have come to expect.
The hugely popular gay hockey romance series was not eligible for this year’s Emmys because it is a Canadian production, but it more than made up for that at the Canadian Screen Awards on Sunday.
The show had a record-breaking night, taking home 16 awards and winning every category it was nominated in, according to Deadline. Its wins included Best Drama Series, Directing, Writing, Supporting Performance for Sophie Nélisse, who plays Rose Landry, and the fan-voted Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award.
Williams also scored his first major award win, taking home Best Lead Performer. But anyone expecting a polished, buttoned-up acceptance speech clearly has not been paying attention.
The 25-year-old actor, who has become known for his chaotic and very horny sense of humour, used the moment to shout out his co-star Connor Storrie, who was not eligible for the award because he is American.
Williams also referenced the now-famous online comments about his character’s “yearning bottom eyes”, which have followed him since the series premiered in November.
“If I could cut this award down the middle I would because if these gay, yearning, little bottom eyes didn’t have a big sexy Russian to feast upon, my performance wouldn’t be as good. To the honorary Canadian Connor Storrie, I share this award with you,” Williams said.
The comment was very much in keeping with Williams’ public persona. Fans will remember his now-infamous BuzzFeed video, where he read filthy fan tweets and joked that his character was “jizzing and splizzing all over myself”.
During his speech, Williams also thanked his parents for their support, as well as his long-time partner Katelyn Rose Larson, whom he credited with keeping him grounded. All three were in the audience for the big moment.
For fans, the night was another sign of just how far Heated Rivalry has come. What began as a beloved queer hockey romance adaptation has quickly become one of the most talked-about LGBTQ+ shows of the year.
Season two is scheduled to begin filming in August 2026, with the premiere currently expected sometime in April 2027.
Until then, fans can at least take comfort in knowing that Heated Rivalry is not only winning awards, but doing so with exactly the same messy, romantic and deeply unserious energy that made people fall in love with it in the first place.
