Heated Rivalry cottage owner did ‘soul searching’ before allowing season 2 filming
The cottage was the backdrop for some key scenes in Heated Rivalry season one (Image: Crave)
The owner of the home used as Shane’s now-famous cottage in Heated Rivalry says he did “a little bit of soul searching about allowing them to come back” before agreeing to let production return for season two.
Michael Kutryk, the Toronto doctor who owns the property, told HGTV he had been weighing his privacy against the show’s growing fandom.
The home featured in the season one finale episode, “The Cottage”. Kutryk said the first season was made on a “very small budget” and that he agreed to “almost nothing” to let the series film with “a crew of 45” at the lakefront property.
Kutryk described how negotiations shifted once the show’s profile grew. “When they called, they said, ‘How much do you want?’ First, I told them they scratched my table, then I named a very reasonable price. They were shocked and appreciative. I actually didn’t even get them to replace my table,” he said.
He added that a producer explained the show was based on a novel by Rachel Reid about hockey, prompting him to listen to the audiobook.
“My jaw just dropped as I listened. The pretty explicit nature of the book made me wonder just what they’d be filming… and showing!” he said.
Why The Cottage is important
In season one of Crave’s breakout queer hockey romance, the cottage became the emotional setting for a major turning point for Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).
The storyline saw Shane invite Ilya for a two-week stay, before they grew closer and ultimately decided to come out to Shane’s parents after his father accidentally caught them together at the home.
After Heated Rivalry became a global hit when it was released in December 2025, Kutryk said he started getting calls from Airbnb about renting the cottage, and agreed to rent it out from spring into the autumn after receiving “an offer too good to refuse”.
He said he is still unsure whether he will continue renting it after season two airs because he’s “a private guy”. He added: “This is my retreat. I built this to get away from the world, so I don’t know how much longer I’ll continue to share it.”
Heated Rivalry season 2
Heated Rivalry season two is set for a spring 2027 release, with production starting in Canada earlier this month.
The past few weeks have seen Heated Rivalry fans inundated with major casting updates, with the actors playing some key roles confirmed.
Late last week, Shaheen Jafargholi and Daniel Diemer were announced as Fabian Salah and Ryan Price, from Reid’s novel Tough Guy.
They joined Charlie Gillespie as Troy Barrett, and Justice Smith as Harris Drover, the leads from Role Model.
Other supporting cast announced include Robert Naylor, Emily Hampshire, Priyanka, Edvin Ryding and Sabrina Jalees.
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