Heated Rivalry Might Drop A Bonus Episode Before Season 2

Heated Rivalry fans may get to go back to the cottage earlier than expected. Although Season 2 isn’t expected to be released anytime soon, an executive behind the hit romance series has dropped a hint that a special episode could be coming to help tide fans over.

Justin Stockman, an executive at Bell Media, which produces Heated Rivalry, mentioned the idea for a standalone bonus episode during an interview with the Toronto Star.

“We’re going to see what’s feasible,” Stockman said. “If [showrunner Jacob Tierney] can find a way to make the source material work in a way that gets us something sooner or something special, I’m sure he will. I would love to have this back for the holidays next year, but that likely is not going to happen. We can’t rush the process. We won’t be able to repeat the magic if we push him.”

With the show’s upcoming second season all but confirmed to be adapting The Long Game, the second book in Rachel Reid’s novels that centers on Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, a bonus episode could be a chance for the series to dive into one of the several other romances explored in Reid’s Game Changers books. While Season 1 included a good chunk of Scott and Kip’s love story, there are multiple protagonists that haven’t even been introduced in the show yet.

Recently, Connor Storrie suggested filming for Season 2 may begin over the summer, although Tierney is still working on the new episodes. The showrunner told the Toronto Star that he doesn’t want to rush the next season just because the show has blown up.

“This isn’t what any of us expected and I’m endlessly grateful for it. But it’s the kind of noise that I have to drown out to make the next two seasons,” Tierney said. “I have to keep trusting myself. I have to keep doing what I did in the first place. That’s the way you’re going to get a good Season 2. It’s important for me to go back to what I love about this and remember the story I’m telling.”