The drama we can expect in the Heated Rivalry bonus episode, according to the book series

Gals, you may not have to wait too long for more Shane and Ilya content. We may get a new bonus episode of Heated Rivalry before season two. If you’re desperate to know what it will be about, and you lack the attention span required to read all six novels, then here’s a look at what would happen in the Heated Rivalry bonus episode, according to the books.

Lots more Heated Rivalry is in the works

First, let’s recap what we do know about the Heated Rivalry bonus episode. Although season two is definitely coming, it may take a while to make. The show’s creator Jacob Tierney is working towards a standalone episode to fill that void.

Perhaps somebody will occasionally play hockey in season two?
(Image via Crave)

Justin Stockman is the vice-president of content development and programming at the company that owns the streaming site that made Heated Rivalry. You with me? He told the Toronto Star: “We’re going to see what’s feasible. If [Jacob] 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.”

The books explain what would happen in a Heated Rivalry bonus episode

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Now, the Heated Rivalry book is part of a bigger series called Game Changers. It currently consists of six published novels, one unpublished novel, and an assortment of short stories and bonus chapters. The series focuses on a group of interconnected characters. Ilya and Shane are not the main characters of every book, although they pop up in most stories.

Connor Storie has hinted season two of the Heated Rivalry show will follow The Long Game. That’s the second book to centre on Shane and Ilya, and the sixth book overall. Elements of other books will be thrown in. So, it sounds as if the bonus episode would be based off stories from the Game Changers universe that take place between Heated Rivalry and the Long Game.

More domestic bliss, please
(Image via Crave)

A very strong candidate for a standalone episode is the short story My Dinner With Hayden. This is set approximately 15 months after Heated Rivalry, and around two years before The Long Game.

Hayden has discovered Shane is secretly in a relationship with Ilya. Shane and Ilya attempt to host a dinner party with Hayden and his wife Jackie. The situation brings up Shane and Ilya’s ongoing dilemma about keeping their relationship secret. This will be a recurring issue in The Long Game (and in season two). It’s all mega awkward, but has a happy ending. The friendship drama is resolved, and then Shane and Ilya have a lot of sex. The end.

Idk how much I trust their cooking skills
(Image via Crave)

Rachel Reid wrote another short story about Ilya, that’s set a few weeks before My Dinner With Hayden. On Ilya’s first Halloween in Ottawa, he hands out sweets to kids, and flirts with Shane over the phone. It’s cute, but not long enough by itself to fill a whole TV episode.

Lots of Heated Rivalry book readers were a bit disappointed that the epilogue from the book wasn’t adapted for season one of the show. This chapter takes place a few weeks after those two short stories. We see Shane and Ilya living in houses near each other. Shane and Ilya announce at a big press conference that they are starting a charity called The Irina Foundation. This will be the official reason they give to anyone who questions why they spend so much time together. Maybe elements of the epilogue will feature in the Heated Rivalry bonus episode, to set up the plot of season two.

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