Inside Real-Life ‘Heated Rivalry’ Cottage Where Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie Brought Shane and Ilya’s Romance to Life

HBO Max's "Heated Rivalry" has sparked a firestorm of intrigue, amassing a legion of fans who have been captivated by the magnetic romance between rival hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander.

Reviewers have lauded the six-episode series, which stars Hudson Williams as Shane and Connor Storrie as Ilya, while social media has been flooded with posts dedicated to the actors and their on-screen characters.

The series, which is based on a book of the same name by Rachel Reid and premiered on the streaming site on Nov. 28, reached its climax in the Season 1 finale. It takes place largely in a jaw-dropping "cottage" on the outskirts of Ottawa, Canada, where the two protagonists get the chance to experience what a real relationship between them might look like.

While few things could steal the spotlight from the chemistry between Williams, 24, and Storrie, 25, some viewers couldn't help but split their focus between the storyline and the stunning backdrop.

As it turns out, the setting for the fictional finale is actually a very real place: a picture-perfect lake house on Muskoka Lakes in Ontario, Canada.

While any Americans who read the books might have expected the "cottage" to be a small, cozy property, in reality, the structure is anything but.

The author previously explained that the word "cottage" means something different in her native Canada.

"By cottage, we mean small mansion," Reid joked during an appearance on the "Late Night Scrolling" podcast. "A lot of Americans, including my editor, were very confused about the term 'cottage' when I wrote the book.

"If it's a second property you relax at, it's a cottage. ... It's just very Canadian."

When it came to finding the perfect cottage/mansion for the show, a clear winner emerged in the form of a stunning lakefront residence designed by architect Trevor McIvor.

The home comes complete with an expansive floor plan that is accentuated with high ceilings, natural wood tones, and large floor-to-ceiling windows that are elegance defined.

Inside, there is also plush seating and a cozy fireplace for the two characters to get comfortable around.

Known as Barlochan Cottage, the property was built for a client of McIvor's eponymous firm, which states on its website that the owners were seeking "a four-season cottage that intimately coexists with its surrounding Muskoka landscape."

The website notes that the property was built using a prefabricated structure made out of Douglas fir—while other elements, such as the granite fireplace, were constructed with locally sourced materials.

Walls of windows help to bring the outdoors inside, whatever the weather, with images capturing the perfect winter retreat amid a snowy landscape.

In Shane and Ilya's case, the cabin became a summer sanctuary as they enjoyed a break from the hockey season and a chance to explore their feelings in private without the risk of being caught by one of their teammates.

However, that bubble is quickly popped when they are interrupted by Shane's father, who accidentally busts in on the couple sharing an intimate moment, forcing his son to come out there and then.

At that point, the show veers away from the book's ending—opting to eliminate the novel's final pages, in which Shane and Ilya formulate a plan to reveal their relationship to the world over a multiyear period.

Instead, the series draws to a close with Shane and Ilya's heartfelt conversation with the former's parents, in which he lays bare the truth about their romance.

"This was what I was always building to," series creator Jacob Tierney told EW. "The thing that I became aware of at a certain point was that the contrast between how huge Episode 5 feels and is, and how small and intimate Episode 6 is, was a pretty big swing—but the swing had to be taken.

"That's the way that this story ends, or certainly the way that I wanted to end it.

"One, to end with the press conference, to end with essentially what amounts to exposition, did not interest me. I think that's a very literary way to [end it], epilogue-y kind of energy that I don't think we needed for this," the creator added.

The creator noted that he wanted to replicate the emotions he felt in the book but not the exact actions.

"What I remember so clearly feeling at the end of this book was, 'I'm so happy they get to be happy,' that I just wanted to sit with them and let them be happy. That's then part of the structure of giving 5 that big rom-com movie star ending to Scott [François Arnaud], so that I can have a quiet ending with Shane and Ilya," Tierney added.