Love Island USA opened its Movie Night segment by playing the Heated Rivalry cover of t.A.T.u.'s "All the Things She Said." Viewers picked up on the cue during the show's Movie Night, with social posts calling out the song choice. Heated Rivalry has been a breakout HBO hit that launched actors Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, and François Arnaud. Comedian and actor Joel Kim Booster told the Provincetown Independent that Hollywood appears to be copying Heated Rivalry's surface elements instead of its queer romance, saying "there are now six hockey shows in development, none of them gay." Following Heated Rivalry, Prime Video premiered the heterosexual ice hockey romance Off Campus and Netflix is adapting the novel Icebreakers into another heterosexual hockey romance. Booster blamed a chilling, risk-averse environment after actions by Republican leaders that have targeted LGBTQ+ content, and he cited recent cancellations of several shows featuring out characters earlier in 2025.
