u/dustypony21

Every time I watch Ilya walk to the door to meet Shane, I think: "Wish I had a swing like that on my back porch."

Upon reheating for the [redacted] time, I stopped reading the captions and just listened to Ilya’s Russian tunnel monologue as Shane would have heard it.

Without any understanding of what Ilya was saying, Shane just listens, completely absorbing the sound of Ilya’s voice.

There are a couple of times when Ilya pauses for an extended period. Collecting his thoughts, composing himself.

But here’s the thing: During those periods of silence, Shane just … waits. He doesn’t interrupt. He doesn’t rush the moment. He doesn’t say anything. He just waits. He simply listens, even in the silence.

And it is only after a long moment of silence that Ilya finally surrenders himself to the gift Shane has given him. It is only then that Ilya is fully and completely honest with himself, and with Shane too.

https://youtu.be/ueoxEiqqwG0?is=eqntTHGrCJKbp1-j

So we all know the impact Heated Rivalry has had on on our lives ... but just for fun, I'm wondering if there are any non-loons out there who are (somehow) oblivious to this show but who are seeing its influence anyway.

For example, have the ratings for Criminal Minds skyrocketed this season?

Has Peloton sold a million machines overnight?

What does the Google algorithm think about all the "English to Russian" translation requests as fanfic writers do those searches?

Are Canada Dry stockholders wondering why sales of ginger ale have taken off all of a sudden?

Let's speculate! Have fun!

(Edited to add: I deleted previous post after it was called to my attention that the pic I used was AI generated. I would never have done that intentionally. Sincere apologies!)

Nothing earthshaking here, just a simple question. WHY do you believe Heated Rivalry and/or the characters have resonated so deeply with so many of us?

No wrong answers. Feel free to share your personal experience or a general overview.

For me, I have several theories. One I’ll toss out to start: I believe many of us yearn to be seen, loved and cherished … but we are, at least to some extent, isolated and lonely. But we see hope and possibility in the journey of Shane and Ilya as they stumble toward one another.

What can I say? I’ll believe in anything.

Edit to add: I wish the entire cast and crew could read these comments and know how deeply meaningful their work is to so many people. Thank you to everyone for sharing your thoughts.

(If this has already been posted in this forum, please let me know or remove. I searched but did not see it.)

Loons are donating to the Trevor Project in honor of Ilya Rozanov’s birthday. It would be wonderful to see this organization flooded with donations - just another way for Heated Rivalry to make the world a better place. The Trevor Project is a nonprofit dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth, specifically in the area of suicide awareness and prevention. If you feel so moved - join me in giving in honor of Ilya and in memory of Irina. “She would have loved you … like I love you.”

https://give.thetrevorproject.org/campaign/797408/donate

It’s a real word - and it was invented for Connor Storrie.

I've seen discussion regarding the pronunciation of Ilya's last name. The Russian coach in ep 1 pronounces it "roZANov" when barking at Ilya to pay attention, and likewise J.J. says it that when when announcing to the locker room that Ilya did not fly to Nashveel with the rest of the team.

There are at least three occasions when Ilya pronounces his own first name, however, and that's what I want to focus on here:

1 - The iconic voicemail ("Hi this is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail");

2 - During the tunnel monologue ("I want more, Ilya; I need more, Ilya; more more more ...");

3 - When gently correcting David during the coming out pasta party ("Ilya").

It sounds to me like Ilya pronounces his name like EEya (spelled phonetically), while everyone else includes the "L" as in ILLya, rhymes with "willya."

Just wondering what y'all are hearing! Your observations welcome and appreciated.

For what it's worth, my last name is also "foreign" and everyone in my family pronounces it differently, putting emphasis on various syllables depending on how it "flows" with their first names ... and I also pronounce my own first name differently from what my dad and two siblings call me (but matching my mom and one sibling). So maybe that's why this got my attention.