Heated Rivalry lookalike competition seals the deal with a kiss in Washington DC
Aram Matagi and Felix Eller won the competition and, after taking their shirts off, locked lips
By Aaron Sugg
A Heated Rivalry lookalike competition in Washington DC has named their Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov over the weekend, sealing the deal with a kiss.
Hosted at Wunder Garten DC, New Yorkers gathered to be crowned Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie doubles, showing off their similarities, from physique to hair.
Aram Matagi and Felix Eller won the competition and, after taking their shirts off, locked lips to celebrate the lookalike victory.
Shane Hollander lookalike winner Aram Matagi dubbed the event a “good time”
In an interview with event host and online street interviewer “Lucy In Love”, Shane doppelgänger Matagi dubbed the event a “good time”.
He spoke about the impact of the Crave gay hockey romance series, which has been widely praised by athletes and viewers alike.
Reading out some of the comments from contestants and audience members, one wrote: “I love the unproblematic masculinity. The actors are all awesome in real life and the women are queens.”
Matagi said his favourite episode of the six-part series was episode five, particularly the moment when the character Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) publicly comes out by kissing his boyfriend, barista Kip (Robbie GK), on the ice.
“The slow burn is almost something that I think is good to believe in” – Felix Eller on winning the Heated Rivalry lookalike competition as Ilya Rozanov
Eller spoke to the host after winning the lookalike competition as Ilya, celebrating with an impressive jump split after flexing his Connor Storrie-like muscles.
Describing his favourite moment of Heated Rivalry, he said: “The slow burn is almost something that I think is good to believe in. I think people are so quick to cut something off if it’s not immediately going right or not immediately working.”
He said his own personal life mirrored the series, admitting he had also dated someone who was in the closet, describing it as “incredibly difficult”.
Both of the Heated Rivalry lookalike victors are single
Both of the winners were wearing green wristbands, which meant they were single, with the pair admitting they had met very attractive men at the DC event.
With Heated Rivalry series two gearing up for production in August 2026, the second season has been confirmed to stream on Sky and NOW in the UK following its renewal, with a release set for next spring.
Modelled on author Rachel Reid’s book The Long Game, Storrie is set to reprise his role in Heated Rivalry series two, continuing to follow Ilya and Shane’s love story roughly ten years into their relationship.