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‘Heated Rivalry’ Stars Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie’s Fiery Olympics 2026 Role Revealed
The Olympic flame has never been quite this hot.
Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie hit the streets of Feltre, Italy, Jan. 25, to serve as official torchbearers for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina in the lead-up to the sporting event.
During the latest stop in the torch relay—which kicked off in November and will conclude during the Games’ opening ceremony Feb. 6—Hudson, 24, and Connor, 25, donned matching all-white ensembles while walking with the flame, as seen in a video posted on the Olympics’ official Instagram page.
The duo appeared to be wholeheartedly embraced by the locals who joined in on the festivities. After an onlooker told Hudson, “Italy loves you a lot,” he held his hand to his heart as he replied, “I love Italy.”
And Connor certainly felt the love from the crowd as well, remarking in a clip on Milano Cortina’s Instagram Stories, “It’s a lot of people!”
The appearance also served as a nod to the Crave and HBO Max series—adapted from Rachel Reid’s novel of the same name—in which Hudson and Connor’s respective characters, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, competed during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. And while the actors won’t be vying for medals themselves, the significance of the symbolic relay certainly seemed to resonate with Hudson, who at one point exclaimed, “This is crazy.”
Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Indeed, in the weeks since the buzzworthy gay hockey romance debuted, Hudson and Connor have had to adapt to their newfound fame. For the Canadian native’s part, the sudden transition has been a positive experience—for the most part.
“I’m not overwhelmed by the grand scale, but I’m more overwhelmed about how many emails I have to get through” he exclusively told Zuri Hall on Live from E!: Golden Globes 2026 Jan. 11. “That inbox keeps filling up, messages fill up and that drives me crazy.”
As for Connor, he previously said that limiting his screen time has essential to keeping himself grounded.
“I try to stay off of comments and too much online stuff because our algorithms, especially now, are so geared toward whatever you intake that if you go online, it could just be all me,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Jan. 9. “That’s not healthy and that’s not human to only look at yourself. I keep moving and be mindful about where I’m putting my attention.”
Before the 2026 Olympics get underway, keep scrolling for a look back at all the stars who stepped out for the 2024 Summer Games…
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Mick Jagger
Sweet sounds of heaven: The rocker took in the festivities while at the Stade de France.
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Quavo
The musician proved he was the one while attending the Men's Basketball semi-final match in Paris.
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Gabrielle Union
Only one can play that game: The stylish actress stepped out for a daytime stroll.
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Emma Roberts
The American Horror Story star rocked a "USA" polo and red Ralph Lauren baseball cap while attending the Games.
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Travis Scott, Quavo and Michael Rubin
The "goosebumps" rapper, Migos member and Fanatics CEO showed out for the semi-final basketball game between Serbia and the United States.
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Tom Brady and Vivian Brady
The father-daughter duo vaulted onto the scene for a gymnastics match.
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Sharon Stone
The Basic Instinct actress looked on during the men's singles final match in tennis.
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Eva Mendes & Ryan Gosling
The two made a rare public appearance at the Paris Olympics on day 9, attending a few events, including the Equestrian Dressage Individual Grand Prix Freestyle.
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Guy Fieri, Lori Fieri, John Travolta & Ella Bleu Travolta
Welcome to Olympic Flavortown: The Food Network star and his wife sat with the Grease actor and his daughter and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav at the men's singles tennis gold medal match between Spain's Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia's Novak Djokovic.
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Devin Booker
The NBA star hit a stride while out in the City of Lights.
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Kendall Jenner
Th Kardashians star kept up with the athletic events while in Paris.
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Kylie Kelce, Aly Raisman & Jason Kelce
We're flipping over the Kelces' pic with the Olympic gymnast.
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Serena Williams & Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr.
The tennis star and her mini-me aced their appearance at the Women's Gymnastics Team Final.
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Princess Anne
The royal made a regal appearance at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
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Spike Lee
At the Gymnastics Women's Team Final, the director made sure he was fully in the game.
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Michael Phelps
The Olympian and his wife Nicole Johnson took their 6-month-old son Nico to the women's gymnastics team final.
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Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban
The couple attended the gymnastics final with daughters Sunday and Faith.
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Natalie Portman
The Thor star had a marvelous time while watching the women's gymnastics team final.
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Queen Latifah
The actress displayed a little U-N-I-T-Y when cheering in the stands.
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Ed Sheeran
Dive right in and follow the singer's lead by taking in the best Olympic moments.
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Bill Gates & Paula Hurd
The Microsoft co-founder took his girlfriend to a match at Roland-Garros in Paris.
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Sarah Jessica Parker & Jennifer Hudson
"Look who I ran into in Paris !!" Jennifer captioned the pic. "Carrie and Louise reunited at last! Love is the thing, you know! #SATC."
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Jessica Chastain
The Help star supported Team USA while watching the women's gymnastics qualifying rounds.
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Emma Chamberlain & Peter McPoland
The influencer and singer looked close as they sat in the stands for women's gymnastics.
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Colin Jost
The Saturday Night Live star covered Olympic Surfing for NBC as events take place in Tahiti.
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Shaun White & Nina Dobrev
The pair made sure to lock in while in the stands for the Gymnastics Qualifiers.
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Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe
These three made a wickedly good trio while at the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Qualification event.
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Lebron James
The NBA star was front and center on the court during day two of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images
Tom Cruise
The actor took pics with fans while watching the women's gymnastics qualifiers.
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Lady Gaga
The singer praised Simone Biles on Instagram over her balance beam routine.
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