Anonymous
01/19/2026 19:26
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would watch but gay sex is cringe for me to watch. Is there a lot of it?
It’s pretty raunchy, lol. There are short clips circulating on Twitter.
I decided to read the books first. I am not a prude, but oh my this is graphic M/M sex. I'm not hating it...
While the sex in the show isn’t gentle per se, I love how gentle and tender they are with each other. Often kissing, Ilya always touching his face and lifting his chin up for eye contact, checking on him if this or that is ok, if he is scared, if he still wants it. Asking for consent and then doing raunchy stuff is hot! I wish more hetero men would watch the show because it is a case study in what women find attractive and arousing too.
It was written by a woman for a largely female audience. Female viewership of HBOMax went from 48 or percent to almost 70 with the success of the show. A lot of M/M romance isn’t written for or by men, but for and by women.
Genuinely curious and this is probably gonna get deleted but do straight women genuinely get off on this? I'm watching right now. It's entertaining but it's not hot.
Why wouldn’t they? A lot of what these men do to each other can be done in a hetero relationship too. Not everything, but most of it. The actors are hot and sell the sexual tension well in the show, plus the intimacy scenes are filmed very well, so I can see how this is a turn on for straight people too.
Is this actually a turn on for gay men? It's so obviously written for women.
I just watched a HR reaction video with Dan and Phil (gay British YouTube couple). They really liked it.
Everyone really likes it because it gets them views / engagement. All these reaction videos are planned - they read what people want to hear online and then make those points in their reactions. They know that liking it is what gets engagement now so they are riding that train.
There is a large dscussion forum that is mostly gay men and they all agree that Ilyas body and backside are incredible. They like Shane / Scott and Kips too. The majority of their discussion is about the ass, trying to zoom in and see the hole, the bodies! Many of them liked the Kip and Scott storyline better than the Ilya / Shane one and thought it was more relatable for gay men. Many comments that it is written for women and not gay men and doesn't really reflect gay men experience (all the Grindr hook ups, 3somes, open relationships, sex just for the sake of sex, turn on of bodies, butts and d@@ks). They acknowledged that the whole two men falling in love, being lovey dovey and all about feelings, being exclusive, getting married, living happily ever after with eyes only for each other happens but is pretty rare and not at all typically of the experince of most gay men. Most of them were happy it had gotten so much mainstream attention and enjoyed the eye candy!
This is such homophobic drivel. Do you know gay men irl? I do. Just like straight people, they fall in love, get married, have kids and monogamous relationships. They are definitely not the sex-obsessed degenerates you describe (unlike the straights on Epstein’s list).
The show is awesome. The actors are gorgeous and did an excellent job conveying all sorts of emotions. It’s a story of love, something all human beings - regardless of gender, religion or sexual orientation- crave and can relate to.
Anonymous
01/19/2026 16:38
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would watch but gay sex is cringe for me to watch. Is there a lot of it?
It’s pretty raunchy, lol. There are short clips circulating on Twitter.
I decided to read the books first. I am not a prude, but oh my this is graphic M/M sex. I'm not hating it...
While the sex in the show isn’t gentle per se, I love how gentle and tender they are with each other. Often kissing, Ilya always touching his face and lifting his chin up for eye contact, checking on him if this or that is ok, if he is scared, if he still wants it. Asking for consent and then doing raunchy stuff is hot! I wish more hetero men would watch the show because it is a case study in what women find attractive and arousing too.
It was written by a woman for a largely female audience. Female viewership of HBOMax went from 48 or percent to almost 70 with the success of the show. A lot of M/M romance isn’t written for or by men, but for and by women.
Genuinely curious and this is probably gonna get deleted but do straight women genuinely get off on this? I'm watching right now. It's entertaining but it's not hot.
Why wouldn’t they? A lot of what these men do to each other can be done in a hetero relationship too. Not everything, but most of it. The actors are hot and sell the sexual tension well in the show, plus the intimacy scenes are filmed very well, so I can see how this is a turn on for straight people too.
Is this actually a turn on for gay men? It's so obviously written for women.
I just watched a HR reaction video with Dan and Phil (gay British YouTube couple). They really liked it.
Everyone really likes it because it gets them views / engagement. All these reaction videos are planned - they read what people want to hear online and then make those points in their reactions. They know that liking it is what gets engagement now so they are riding that train.
There is a large dscussion forum that is mostly gay men and they all agree that Ilyas body and backside are incredible. They like Shane / Scott and Kips too. The majority of their discussion is about the ass, trying to zoom in and see the hole, the bodies! Many of them liked the Kip and Scott storyline better than the Ilya / Shane one and thought it was more relatable for gay men. Many comments that it is written for women and not gay men and doesn't really reflect gay men experience (all the Grindr hook ups, 3somes, open relationships, sex just for the sake of sex, turn on of bodies, butts and d@@ks). They acknowledged that the whole two men falling in love, being lovey dovey and all about feelings, being exclusive, getting married, living happily ever after with eyes only for each other happens but is pretty rare and not at all typically of the experince of most gay men. Most of them were happy it had gotten so much mainstream attention and enjoyed the eye candy!
Anonymous
01/19/2026 15:36
Subject: Re:Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:SNL jumped on the Heated Rivalry train with a hilarious “Harry Potter, reimagined: Heated Wizardry” skit.
Please understand some people are emotionally and otherwise starved and just like with food, you eat what’s available and a quick reward/dopamine hit
Anonymous
01/19/2026 15:26
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would watch but gay sex is cringe for me to watch. Is there a lot of it?
It’s pretty raunchy, lol. There are short clips circulating on Twitter.
I decided to read the books first. I am not a prude, but oh my this is graphic M/M sex. I'm not hating it...
While the sex in the show isn’t gentle per se, I love how gentle and tender they are with each other. Often kissing, Ilya always touching his face and lifting his chin up for eye contact, checking on him if this or that is ok, if he is scared, if he still wants it. Asking for consent and then doing raunchy stuff is hot! I wish more hetero men would watch the show because it is a case study in what women find attractive and arousing too.
It was written by a woman for a largely female audience. Female viewership of HBOMax went from 48 or percent to almost 70 with the success of the show. A lot of M/M romance isn’t written for or by men, but for and by women.
Genuinely curious and this is probably gonna get deleted but do straight women genuinely get off on this? I'm watching right now. It's entertaining but it's not hot.
On some level, this question is hilarious to me, considering the massive amount of gay fan fiction written by women that is available on the internet. It’s like Hollywood has simply no idea what female audiences like.
But Asia does - There are tons of BL TV shows and movies from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China (!), and, of course, Thailand.
Anonymous
01/19/2026 15:23
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would watch but gay sex is cringe for me to watch. Is there a lot of it?
It’s pretty raunchy, lol. There are short clips circulating on Twitter.
I decided to read the books first. I am not a prude, but oh my this is graphic M/M sex. I'm not hating it...
While the sex in the show isn’t gentle per se, I love how gentle and tender they are with each other. Often kissing, Ilya always touching his face and lifting his chin up for eye contact, checking on him if this or that is ok, if he is scared, if he still wants it. Asking for consent and then doing raunchy stuff is hot! I wish more hetero men would watch the show because it is a case study in what women find attractive and arousing too.
It was written by a woman for a largely female audience. Female viewership of HBOMax went from 48 or percent to almost 70 with the success of the show. A lot of M/M romance isn’t written for or by men, but for and by women.
Genuinely curious and this is probably gonna get deleted but do straight women genuinely get off on this? I'm watching right now. It's entertaining but it's not hot.
Why wouldn’t they? A lot of what these men do to each other can be done in a hetero relationship too. Not everything, but most of it. The actors are hot and sell the sexual tension well in the show, plus the intimacy scenes are filmed very well, so I can see how this is a turn on for straight people too.
Is this actually a turn on for gay men? It's so obviously written for women.
I just watched a HR reaction video with Dan and Phil (gay British YouTube couple). They really liked it.
Anonymous
01/19/2026 14:58
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would watch but gay sex is cringe for me to watch. Is there a lot of it?
It’s pretty raunchy, lol. There are short clips circulating on Twitter.
I decided to read the books first. I am not a prude, but oh my this is graphic M/M sex. I'm not hating it...
While the sex in the show isn’t gentle per se, I love how gentle and tender they are with each other. Often kissing, Ilya always touching his face and lifting his chin up for eye contact, checking on him if this or that is ok, if he is scared, if he still wants it. Asking for consent and then doing raunchy stuff is hot! I wish more hetero men would watch the show because it is a case study in what women find attractive and arousing too.
It was written by a woman for a largely female audience. Female viewership of HBOMax went from 48 or percent to almost 70 with the success of the show. A lot of M/M romance isn’t written for or by men, but for and by women.
Genuinely curious and this is probably gonna get deleted but do straight women genuinely get off on this? I'm watching right now. It's entertaining but it's not hot.
On some level, this question is hilarious to me, considering the massive amount of gay fan fiction written by women that is available on the internet. It’s like Hollywood has simply no idea what female audiences like.
+1. Timothee Chalamet was in a beautifully shot gay movie and he became an Oscar nominee at 22. The audience for this kind of thing is huge.
Anonymous
01/19/2026 14:53
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would watch but gay sex is cringe for me to watch. Is there a lot of it?
It’s pretty raunchy, lol. There are short clips circulating on Twitter.
I decided to read the books first. I am not a prude, but oh my this is graphic M/M sex. I'm not hating it...
While the sex in the show isn’t gentle per se, I love how gentle and tender they are with each other. Often kissing, Ilya always touching his face and lifting his chin up for eye contact, checking on him if this or that is ok, if he is scared, if he still wants it. Asking for consent and then doing raunchy stuff is hot! I wish more hetero men would watch the show because it is a case study in what women find attractive and arousing too.
It was written by a woman for a largely female audience. Female viewership of HBOMax went from 48 or percent to almost 70 with the success of the show. A lot of M/M romance isn’t written for or by men, but for and by women.
Genuinely curious and this is probably gonna get deleted but do straight women genuinely get off on this? I'm watching right now. It's entertaining but it's not hot.
On some level, this question is hilarious to me, considering the massive amount of gay fan fiction written by women that is available on the internet. It’s like Hollywood has simply no idea what female audiences like.
Anonymous
01/19/2026 14:11
Subject: Re:Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
The couch love scene in Ep 4 is the hottest thing I’ve watched on TV in years. Connor Storrie, the man and actor you are!
Anonymous
01/19/2026 11:00
Subject: Re:Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just finished today. Love, love, loved it. I'll definitely watch again.
Signed,
Middle aged straight mom
I am 33, straight and obsessed. So is my gay brother. On my third re-watch this weekend!
We are all in the cottage, sister.
Y'all, it is really not THAT good lol. It's enjoyable but a third rewatch in a month is crazy.
I got an HBO Max subscription to watch The Pitt, and two weeks later I still haven’t gotten around to seeing it, however, I’ve rewatched my favorite Ilya Rozanov scenes (half the show basically) an embarrassing amount of times….definitely more than 3x.
Anonymous
01/18/2026 23:37
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would watch but gay sex is cringe for me to watch. Is there a lot of it?
It’s pretty raunchy, lol. There are short clips circulating on Twitter.
I decided to read the books first. I am not a prude, but oh my this is graphic M/M sex. I'm not hating it...
While the sex in the show isn’t gentle per se, I love how gentle and tender they are with each other. Often kissing, Ilya always touching his face and lifting his chin up for eye contact, checking on him if this or that is ok, if he is scared, if he still wants it. Asking for consent and then doing raunchy stuff is hot! I wish more hetero men would watch the show because it is a case study in what women find attractive and arousing too.
It was written by a woman for a largely female audience. Female viewership of HBOMax went from 48 or percent to almost 70 with the success of the show. A lot of M/M romance isn’t written for or by men, but for and by women.
Genuinely curious and this is probably gonna get deleted but do straight women genuinely get off on this? I'm watching right now. It's entertaining but it's not hot.
DH is very grateful for “that gay hockey show.” I’ll leave it at that.
Anonymous
01/18/2026 21:47
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Rachel announced a third Shane/Ilya book yesterday, Unrivaled.
Strike the iron while it’s hot
Get while the getting’s good
Baffles me when poor writers like her suddenly hit the jackpot
Probably a bit better than 50 shades of grey but still
I just finished reading Game Changer and HR. It pretty bad writing. HR was the better of the two, but miles ahead of 50 Shades.
I’ve read a lot better in the genre.
I’m fascinated by the fact that this is a genre. What other authors or books do you recommend? I read HR after watching the show. While I wouldn’t say the writing is great, it sort of grew on me. And I did think the character development was better than I expected based on the show. So now I want to understand what this whole genre is about.
Anonymous
01/18/2026 21:39
Subject: Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would watch but gay sex is cringe for me to watch. Is there a lot of it?
It’s pretty raunchy, lol. There are short clips circulating on Twitter.
I decided to read the books first. I am not a prude, but oh my this is graphic M/M sex. I'm not hating it...
While the sex in the show isn’t gentle per se, I love how gentle and tender they are with each other. Often kissing, Ilya always touching his face and lifting his chin up for eye contact, checking on him if this or that is ok, if he is scared, if he still wants it. Asking for consent and then doing raunchy stuff is hot! I wish more hetero men would watch the show because it is a case study in what women find attractive and arousing too.
It was written by a woman for a largely female audience. Female viewership of HBOMax went from 48 or percent to almost 70 with the success of the show. A lot of M/M romance isn’t written for or by men, but for and by women.
Genuinely curious and this is probably gonna get deleted but do straight women genuinely get off on this? I'm watching right now. It's entertaining but it's not hot.
Why wouldn’t they? A lot of what these men do to each other can be done in a hetero relationship too. Not everything, but most of it. The actors are hot and sell the sexual tension well in the show, plus the intimacy scenes are filmed very well, so I can see how this is a turn on for straight people too.
Is this actually a turn on for gay men? It's so obviously written for women.
I agree with the idea that a lot of what happens on screen in the sex scenes looks very familiar to me as a straight woman, and I definitely found it very hot. As did the gay friend I’ve discussed it with. After viewing I read the book and realize what’s happening off screen is VERY different, but so what? Two people enjoying each other, giving and taking pleasure, developing a relationship. More of this, less of the shitshow that is America, please.
Anonymous
01/18/2026 21:27
Subject: Re:Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
SNL jumped on the Heated Rivalry train with a hilarious “Harry Potter, reimagined: Heated Wizardry” skit.
Anonymous
01/18/2026 21:04
Subject: Re:Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just finished today. Love, love, loved it. I'll definitely watch again.
Signed,
Middle aged straight mom
I am 33, straight and obsessed. So is my gay brother. On my third re-watch this weekend!
We are all in the cottage, sister.
Y'all, it is really not THAT good lol. It's enjoyable but a third rewatch in a month is crazy.
Anonymous
01/18/2026 20:27
Subject: Re:Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just finished today. Love, love, loved it. I'll definitely watch again.
Signed,
Middle aged straight mom
I am 33, straight and obsessed. So is my gay brother. On my third re-watch this weekend!
We are all in the cottage, sister.
Same, girl. Just started watch #4.