Tourism experts suggest Heated Rivalry’s popularity may reflect Canada’s acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, unlike many other countries. “Canada is a country where a lot of people from a lot of backgrounds live together, so it’s kind of a celebration of that. It’s a really solid message in view of the global context,” said Smith.
Beyond the cottage
Away from the calm of Muskoka, other locations appearing in the series have also attracted waves of fans in the weeks since the season ended. Although the series is set in Toronto and Montreal – Hollander breaks up with actress Rose Landry at Le Tambour Tavern; Landry later wears a T-shirt with the logo of St-Viateur Bagel, causing recent sales to skyrocket – it was mostly filmed in Hamilton, about an hour’s drive from Toronto.
Devon Hogue of Tourism Hamilton said fan interest led to a location guide on their blog, highlighting the impact of screen tourism. “It is not every day we see something like this, but it’s good news for our city and our businesses,” Hogue said. Fans still can’t get enough; Heated Rivalry location guides continue to pop up on travel blogs.
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Among the Hamilton locations that fans will recognise are the city’s famous pink tunnel – a coloured underpass covered in graffiti where a grieving Rozanov confides to Hollander in his native Russian – and the Straw+Berry smoothie shop and its blueberry smoothie “with extra banana”, which brings hockey captain Scott Hunter and barista Kip Grady together.