Shane and Ilya's heated entanglement has had the show-rating meter explode. Despite a story that is hard to bid goodbye to, Heated Rivalry's season 1 has come to a rather celebrated close.

Contrary to a layman's expectations, IMDb's best TV finale review is of two hockey players' cottage rendezvous. Episodes 5 and 6 of Heated Rivalry's first season are now the site's most-rated finale, with the sixth episode scoring 9.9/10.

Named I'll Believe in Anything and The Cottage, their scores reflect 2025's best season's end. The show now brushes titles with popular shows like Pluribus, Andor, Severance, and Invincible.

The two final episodes aired on December 19 and 26, 2025, respectively. Putting a seal on the first season, this seasonal endgame deepened Shane and Ilya's bond as they opened up to each other and Shane's parents.

Heated Rivalry's finale is now a hit, yes, but the streak for its boiling-point score started with a perfect 10.

Heated Rivalry's knack for heated IMDb ratings

The sports-romance show was released on Crave on November 28, 2025. It was Heated Rivalry's fifth episode that bagged a perfect 10/10 on the site, coupled with the sixth part to reach a fever pitch rating.

The episode, I'll Believe in Anything, set the pace for the sixth episode's closure. It dealt with Shane and Ilya's final moments before coming to terms with their feelings for each other, inspired by Kip and Scott.

Heated Rivalry has come to a rather warm end, of the season, of course. With a second season inspired by The Long Game, Shane and Ilya's IMDb-topping journey continues.

What do you think of Heated Rivalry's most rated finale so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Written by

Adiba Nizami

Edited by

Hriddhi Maitra