It’s happening! Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie have reunited in Italy to help usher in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Last week, it was announced that the Heated Rivalry stars would take part in the historic tradition of carrying the Olympic flame from Olympia to Milano Cortina, where this year’s games will take place. The journey involves thousands of torchbearers, as the symbolic flame travels through every region of Italy ahead of the opening ceremony on February 6.
While the Olympics’ organizing committee did not share many details about Williams and Storrie‘s roles ahead of their appearance, the duo were filmed carrying their torches by fans on January 25.
According to the Olympics’ website, Williams and Storrie took part in the 49th leg of the journey, which took place in the town of Feltre. There are plenty more stages to go before it reaches Milan on February 4, if you’d like to follow along with the official tacker on the Olympics’ website.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie shot to superstardom following the release of the Crave Original series on HBO Max in late November. The duo play Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two rival hockey captains who engage in a decade-long romance off the ice. But whatever you do, don’t call them lovers in front of Shane, that’s gross.
This event marks Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie’s first joint appearance since attending the Golden Globes on January 11. That very evening, Storrie ventured to New York for his first late night appearance, while Williams later made his runway debut at Milan Fashion Week. In fact, Williams opened DSquared2’s hockey-themed show, created by twin Canadian designers Dean and Dan Caten.
Hudson Williams walks the runway at the Dsquared2 fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week on January 16, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Pietro D’Aprano/Getty Images
As random as some of these side-quests may seem, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are quickly checking off a laundry list of once-in-a-lifetime moments that will only bring them closer to their famous Heated Rivalry characters. On the one hand, you have Storrie making tuna melts on The Today Show, while Williams has been working with a stylist and attending fashion shows in Milan (IYKYK).
And just like Shane and Ilya, both Williams and Storrie can officially say they’ve presented at an awards show and took part in an Olympic event. In episode two of Heated Rivalry, Shane and Ilya represent Canada and Russia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where Russia’s anti-LGBTQ laws cast a dangerous and sobering shadow over the moment they’d been dreaming about since they were children.
For that reason alone, Williams and Storrie’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics feels like a triumph.
