Carina Press, Crave
What To Know
- Heated Rivalry’s third episode will focus on hockey player Scott Hunter, per actor Francois Arnaud.
- Scott is a central character in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, which the show is based on.
- In Reid’s first book, Game Changer, Scott’s story becomes intertwined with Kip Grady’s.
The internet is abuzz over Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), and rightfully so. But even if Hollanov scenes are running on a loop in your brain, it’s time to fixate on yet another Heated Rivalry couple: Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.).
Scott and Kip are actually the focus of another book in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, but they haven’t been forgotten in the Heated Rivalry adaptation. In fact, the show’s third episode gives Scott and Kip ample time to shine.
If you want to learn more about the OG game changers, you’re in luck. We’re breaking down everything you need to know about the characters and the actors that play them — and how Scott and Kip’s story connects to Shane and Ilya’s. Plus, find out how Scott and Kip’s book ends.
[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Heated Rivalry and Game Changer by Rachel Reid.]
Who is Scott Hunter in Heated Rivalry?
Similar to the show, Scott is the star center and captain of the New York Admirals in Reid’s series. A more seasoned player compared to Shane and Ilya, Scott is one of the most beloved players in the league, and he takes his role as his team’s leader seriously.
As we come to learn in Game Changer, Scott’s also keeping a major secret: He’s gay. Since he decided to keep his sexuality under wraps during his career, he’s never allowed himself to have a real relationship. He shoulders a lot of responsibilities and doesn’t want to shake up his image. But once he has a meet-cute with Kip, his world is turned on its head. In an uncharacteristically risky move, Scott lets Kip into his life. (In secret, of course.)
Who is Kip Grady in Heated Rivalry?
In Game Changer, Scott encounters Kip at a smoothie shop, where he works as a barista. At 25, Kip is living with his parents while he pays off his college loans, though the history buff is working on getting a museum job. He’s almost instantly infatuated with Scott, who decides that Kip’s smoothie is his good luck charm and keeps coming back to the shop before all of his home games.
Who plays Scott Hunter and Kip Grady in Heated Rivalry?
By now, you probably know that Scott is being brought to life by François Arnaud. The 40-year-old Canadian actor is known for his roles in the historical drama series The Borgias and NBC’s Midnight, Texas. You also might recognize him from his brief appearances in Schitt’s Creek and Yellowjackets. Check out his Instagram if you want to do more research before his episode airs.
His on-screen partner is Robbie G.K. The 29-year-old actor’s biggest roles before Heated Rivalry were in Overcompensating and Hulu’s Utopia Falls. Like Arnaud, he hails from Canada. You can do a deep dive into the actor’s Instagram.
What happens in Game Changer?
So, why are Scott and Kip coming into play in Heated Rivalry? The timelines of Heated Rivalry and Game Changer overlap. In the third act of both books, Scott becomes the first out professional hockey player after his Stanley Cup win. (He knocks Ilya’s team out of the playoffs, it’s worth mentioning.) Scott and Kip share a kiss in front of the crowd and the cameras, emboldening Ilya to stop pushing away his feelings for Shane. (More on what happens after that here.)
As for Game Changer-specific events, we’ll give you a brief overview. It’s pretty straightforward: Scott and Kip confess their love for each other a few months into their secret relationship. Though they’re both all-in with each other, they struggle with not telling anyone about their connection. Scott can hardly find the courage to interact with Kip in public for most of the book, let alone make their relationship known to the world. It takes a toll on Kip. Keeping his friends and family in the dark makes Kip feel isolated and doubt his worth to Scott.
The tension boils over into a major argument, but they manage to come back together. They plan to figure out next steps when the playoffs are over, and Scott starts thinking about how he’s going to make the announcement. He comes out to a few of his closest teammates first, even telling them about Kip, and it goes well. (Remember Carter from Heated Rivalry Episode 2? He’s one of them.)
Then, Scott meets Kip’s family and goes on a date with him, all right before their big kiss on the ice. Scott and Kip get their happily ever after in the epilogue, which finds Kip about to go to NYU for grad school. Ilya, who’s been a snarky thorn in Scott’s side during the playoffs, even commends Scott for what he did.
It’s the first time Scott starts to suspect that he might have something in common with Ilya besides hockey, if you get what we mean. So, how do you think the rest of Skip’s story will be covered in Season 1 of Heated Rivalry? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
Heated Rivalry, Season 1, New Episodes, Fridays, HBO Max
