'I'm Coming to the Cottage': Inside My Stay at 'Heated Rivalry's' Iconic Lakeside Home

Variety writer Anna Tingley got exclusive first access to the real-life Muskoka Lake cottage featured in the hit show 'Heated Rivalry' — the same glass-encased lakehouse where fictional hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov finally consummate their years-long affair in the show's sex-fueled season finale. The catch: she's nursing a fresh heartbreak and staying completely alone in a palatial mansion built for romance.

The property, a 2,500-square-foot glass-and-Douglas-fir structure designed by architect Trevor McIvor in 2020 on the shores of Ontario's Muskoka Lake, normally rents for $15,000–$19,000 a week. For its Airbnb debut in May, it was listed at a steeply discounted $183 per night — and the site immediately crashed when bookings opened. The rental director Jan reveals it will likely jump to $25,000+ per week after the promotion ends. A viral TikTok of fans who flew from L.A. just to film the exterior had already appeared the morning of Tingley's visit.

The inside lives up to the hype, mostly. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the lake, Rothko-esque paintings line the walls, and a throw blanket printed with a topless photo of the show's two leads (Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie) drapes the iconic heather-gray couch. A 400-square-foot waterfront patio holds the fire pit, the grill where Shane made too many burgers, and a private stairway down to the floating rock where they share a kiss. The master bedroom — where the show's first "I love you" happens — features charcoal marble shower walls and a window overlooking the woods. The only off note: a mysterious sour, vaguely rotten smell upon arrival that Tingley charitably chalks up to cleaning products.

But the stay's emotional climax happens not at the cottage, but at a dingy nearby sports bar called Frosty Pints, where Tingley — one Pilsner deep and brooding about her own love life — meets Cheryl and Bobby. The couple met in Muskoka as teenagers (ages 14 and 15), lost touch for decades, each married and divorced, then Cheryl sent a letter to his family's old cottage on a long shot. It reached his brother, who passed it on. They reunited, married 20 years ago, and now live on Kahshe Lake, spinning vinyl, kayaking, hosting tea parties, and welcoming visits from a 100-year-old tortoise named Norman. They describe their life there as 'cottage brain.' Neither has seen 'Heated Rivalry,' but as Tingley notes, they're already living their own version of it.