François Arnaud, Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, and Robbie G.Ok. are among the many Heated Rivalry forged members who’ve turn into family names after the Crave authentic sequence’ huge success over the 2025 vacation season. However the forged’s newfound fame has additionally include some unfavourable unintended effects, particularly on-line harassment from entitled viewers.
Heated Rivalry follows the key romance between rival skilled hockey gamers, Canadian Shane Hollander (performed by Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (performed by Storrie). Arnaud and G.Ok. play the sequence’ second foremost couple, American ice hockey participant Scott Hunter and smoothie store barista Christopher “Kip” Brady, who even have a secret romance earlier than Scott comes out publicly towards the tip of the season. Following the success of the sequence, all eyes have been on the Heated Rivalry forged’s private {and professional} lives, which led to drama in the course of January 2026 after Arnaud and Storrie sparked hypothesis that they have been relationship. Learn on for an explainer on what occurred.
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Are François Arnaud and Connor Storrie relationship from Heated Rivalry?
As of writing, Arnaud and Storrie haven’t confirmed their relationship, nonetheless, they sparked hypothesis they have been relationship after they have been photographed leaving New York collectively on January 14, 2026. Each Arnaud and Storrie have been photographed at John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport, the place Storrie was seen in a jean jacket, and Arnaud wore a navy puffer jacket.
After the photographs went viral, Arnaud confronted on-line harassment from followers on social media, which led Arnaud to unfollow his complete Heated Rivalry forged, together with Storrie, Hudson Williams, and Robbie G.Ok., on his Instagram. He additionally unfollowed the sequence’ creator Jacob Tierney. Based on Simply Jared, his following listing went from 1,000 to 213. Arnaud has since re-followed most of his forged once more.
“François Arnaud has unfollowed everybody concerned with Heated Rivalry on Instagram together with the entire forged and creator Jacob Tierney. “Nasty feedback and on-line harassment appear to have brought on François to restrict his on-line presence,” a person wrote on X, whereas one other tweeted, “They should depart this mild king alone.”
Yet one more person wrote, “The feedback and harassment is horrible and unjustified, however I don’t get unfollowing his forged members?” Different customers questioned whether or not Arnaud would return for Season 2 of Heated Rivalry. “If due to poisonous followers we don’t get François Arnaud in season 2 of HEATED Rivalry I’m gonna lose my fucking thoughts imagine me,” a person wrote. One other tweeted, “Saying françois isn’t serving to by unfollowing any accounts associated to the present. HE IS GETTING DEATH THREATS.” Yet one more wrote, “THE QUEER MAN ON THIS SHOW IS GETTING DEATH THREATS. & you suppose he’s simply being ‘messy’ and ‘asking for consideration’ this fandom is full of people that belong in padded rooms.”
After his huge unfollowing, Arnaud shared an Instagram put up of him flipping off the digicam, seemingly in response to the net harassment he acquired. His put up additionally included photographs of Williams flipping off the digicam on the Golden Globes. “Studying from the perfect. 👑 @hudsonwilliamsofficial,” he captioned the put up.
Arnad got here out as bisexuality in an Instagram Story for Bi Visibility Day in September 2020. “Final week, I used to be chatting with work associates, and as I introduced up a visit I’d taken with an ex-girlfriend, I requested myself —for the ten-thousandth time— tips on how to inform such a narrative with out making it appear to be that was the entire story of me,” he wrote on the time.
He continued, “I’m certain many bisexual guys really feel the identical and find yourself doing as I did: letting different individuals’s assumptions of straightness stand uncorrected. Maybe out of concern of oversharing. Underneath the guise of privateness, perhaps. In all probability as a result of ‘masculinity’ is a most fragile forex, able to nose-dive on the first signal of vulnerability or distinction. And since it’s actually fucking scary to surrender your privilege. Indisputably as a result of stigmas of indecisiveness, infidelity, deception and trendiness are nonetheless clinging to bisexuality.”
He ended his put up by explaining why he needed to publicly come out as bisexual. “However right here’s the factor. Silence has the perverse impact of perpetuating these stereotypes, making bi guys invisible, and main individuals to doubt that we even exist. No surprise it’s nonetheless a chore to acknowledge bisexuality with out stepping into prolonged explanations,” he wrote. “So sure, labels are irritating and phrases, imperfect. However I’ve at all times thought of myself bisexual. Not confused or making an attempt to look edgy. Not disloyal. Not ashamed. Not invisible. Joyful #bivisibilityday this Wednesday.”
In an interview with Selection after his debut on Heated Rivalry in December 2025, Arnaud additionally defined his determination to return out as bisexual on Instagram. “The one purpose I mentioned one thing…is as a result of I didn’t really feel ashamed of it,” he mentioned. “I felt hiding it, concealing it actively, which I’d have needed to do at that time, was an act that indicated disgrace. I used to be like, ‘That’s not how I really feel.’ I mentioned it as a result of I didn’t need to cover. However I’m not significantly serious about speaking about my relationships, or all that. I don’t need to invite individuals into my residence.”
Arnaud additionally addressed a remark made by Tierney in an interview with Xtra, the place Tierney was requested whether or not the real-life sexualities of Williams and Storrie, have been related to the sequence. “I don’t suppose there’s any purpose to get into that stuff,” Tierney mentioned on the time. “I’ll inform you one thing in regards to the casting of each of those roles. You possibly can’t ask questions like that whenever you’re casting, proper? It’s really towards the regulation. So what it’s a must to gauge is anyone’s enthusiasm and willingness to do the work.”
He continued, “And that’s what’s so spectacular about each of those guys is that they got here into this being like, ‘Yeah, we’re right here to do that, and we’re right here to make this story really feel genuine and to be as actual as doable.’ They usually fucking hit it out of the park.”
In his interview with Selection, Arnaud additionally agreed that the forged’s real-life sexualities don’t have relevance to the characters they’re taking part in. “It’s absurd to suppose that you ought to be allowed to ask about somebody’s sexuality once they’re making an attempt to get employed for a job,” he mentioned. “It’s loopy, like we’re solely going to rent you if you happen to’re homosexual? After which it’s, like, how homosexual are you? It’s a spectrum.”
