Heated Rivalry 1x5 highest rated tv episode of 2025 and second highest of all time

[Marilyn MonHoe 11,011]

Heated Rivalry is continuing on an upward trajectory with each episode!

The hit, much talked about Crave series, about rival hockey players Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie) who fall for each other, debuted it's penultimate episode and has been praised by many as the best episode of television this year. 

More so, that is now being reflected with ratings and reviews on IMDb!

The fifth episode, "I'll Believe In Anything," saw Shane breaking up with his girlfriend after she figures out that he's not really into girls, the Tampa Bay all-star game, Ilya's father dying and him admitting his feelings to Shane in Russian, so he actually doesn't know what he said, Shane getting injured, and ending on the note of Scott Hunter (Francois Arnaud) coming out publicly by kissing Kip (Robbie G.K.) on the ice after winning the Stanley Cup, which lead to Ilya making a decision to go to Shane's cottage in the summer.

It has reached a 10/10 rating on the film and television site, with over five thousand ratings.

This has catapulted it to the top of the list of the highest rated episodes of the year on IMDb, and it's the second highest rated of all time, just behind an episode of Breaking Bad with the same rating, but with more input.

In addition, the show as a whole is now ranked as the No 5 most popular TV show on IMDb, just behind Stranger Things, Pluribus, IT: Welcome to Derry and The Abandons. 

Heated Rivalry is also very highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes, by both critics and audiences. The series has a 96% Tomatometer score from critics and a 93% Popcornmeter score from viewers!
 

https://www.justjared.com/2025/12/20/heated-rivalry-episode-5-becomes-highest-rated-tv-episode-of-2025-on-imdb/

Edited December 23, 2025 by Marilyn MonHoe

[gagzus 23,139]

Is this the episode where they show borderline p*rn level sex I’ve seen going around nnnn  the power of gay 

[InTheCloset 21,794]

MY BABY HUDSON DID THAT

2 minutes ago, gagzus said:

Is this the episode where they show borderline p*rn level sex I’ve seen going around nnnn  the power of gay 

surprisingly its the only episode so far without sex scenes

[alsemanche 97,803]

The show is fun and this episode was their best but this is ridiculous lmao

[gagzus 23,139]

1 minute ago, alsemanche said:

The show is fun and this episode was their best but this is ridiculous lmao

I have to agree, although I’ve never seen it most of the top highest rated shows are all modern ones. Like not a single classic 80s show is in this? Or 90s? 

[Marilyn MonHoe 11,011]

15 minutes ago, InTheCloset said:

MY BABY HUDSON DID THAT

surprisingly its the only episode so far without sex scenes

I knew you would love this news lol

[amourssauvages 181]

Deserved

One of the only show that makes sense these last years, except for the white lotus

[Lucas 31,127]

The show has felt boring to me after episode 3. Skip deserved their own season. The 2 other guys (I can never remember their names omg, Ilya and ???) have been ****ing for 7 years and they still seem like complete strangers.

[NUTELLA 26,782]

1 minute ago, Lucas said:

The 2 other guys (I can never remember their names omg, Ilya and ???) have been ****ing for 7 years and they still seem like complete strangers.

NOT a better love story than Twilight

[skaxboy 6,924]

The lady is all of us:

[FFXIV WhiteMage 6,316]

It’s crazy good. I initially thought it’ll be just a smut gay show but I didn’t expect a phenomenal show. The actors were excellent! The director is a pure genius and have a great sense of art in filming the scene. And mind you, ep5 doesn’t have spicy scenes, it’s the culmination of the story build up from the previous episodes. Really glad it’s popping off now!

[Bronco 25,129]

1 hour ago, gagzus said:

I have to agree, although I’ve never seen it most of the top highest rated shows are all modern ones. Like not a single classic 80s show is in this? Or 90s? 

Because IMDB rankings are based on user & critic rankings - people don't go back and review old shows on mass so naturally, like with music streaming, they get little traffic.

 

Honestly, episode 4 & 5 are what changed the show from just a fun smut filled romance into genuinely good media content. 

The way they use the soundtrack combined with the attention to the little details etc truly put it a cut above the rest especially in the streaming age of deliberately dumbed down content. 

Connor's acting is award worthy, that monologue was ridiculously impressive. Coupled with the little details like the police car going back at the very moment he admits he's in love with Shane, while alone in Russia. That moment deserves every award possible tbh.

Jacob Tierney & his team's attention to the tiniest of details throughout this show are insane. 

And finally, this show landed at the right moment. A year of our rights and lives being threated in the west in ways they havent been in decades and now we get to end the year with a show depicting queer joy. 

For once we get a show where the gay characters dont die, break up, get drug addictions or AIDS.

And the hetero world is embracing it - big straight sporting podcasts are doing episode by episode reviews and celebrating it.

[Marilyn MonHoe 11,011]

5 minutes ago, Bronco said:

And the hetero world is embracing it - big straight sporting podcasts are doing episode by episode reviews and celebrating it.

This is honestly been the most surprising thing for me that the show has brought about. This would’ve literally never happened 10 years ago and now we have straight men going “Yes the sex between these two gay guys is hot af!” 
 

I’ve watched these straight guy sports podcasts reviewing the show and they are giving better insight and dialogue about this gay romance than I’ve seen from actual queer people. I was shooketh 

[Marilyn MonHoe 11,011]

33 minutes ago, FFXIV WhiteMage said:

It’s crazy good. I initially thought it’ll be just a smut gay show but I didn’t expect a phenomenal show. The actors were excellent! The director is a pure genius and have a great sense of art in filming the scene. And mind you, ep5 doesn’t have spicy scenes, it’s the culmination of the story build up from the previous episodes. Really glad it’s popping off now!

Same sis! The obviously sexy af smut scenes drew me in but the phenomenal chemistry between the two main actors is what is keeping me here 

[Bronco 25,129]

2 minutes ago, Marilyn MonHoe said:

This is honestly been the most surprising thing for me that the show has brought about. This would’ve literally never happened 10 years ago and now we have straight men going “Yes the sex between these two gay guys is hot af!” 
 

I’ve watched these straight guy sports podcasts reviewing the show and they are giving better insight and dialogue about this gay romance than I’ve seen from actual queer people. I was shooketh 

Honestly, just because I play sport and am around that type of straight dude it is less surprising to me. I'm just glad other queer people, especially any with trauma, are seeing this side of sports bros.

The bit that's surprised me is that its not small time podcasters doing it for clicks - they are big/very popular already within their sport. And I hope any gay/bi/queer men playing in the NHL are seeing this - like I don't think the show itself would make them come out. But I do think seeing how the NHL fandom is adopting the show may help any closeted players at the very least be closer to opening up to their team mates - especially after the bullshit the league itself has been getting up to.