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

Variety writer Anna Tingley got an exclusive first look at the Muskoka Lake cottage from the finale of 'Heated Rivalry' — a gay drama with a rabid fanbase — before it briefly opened on Airbnb for a steeply discounted $183 per night. When bookings went public, the site immediately crashed. Tingley made the two-hour drive from Toronto alone, freshly heartbroken, to the remote Ontario property — a circumstance she acknowledges is both ironic and oddly fitting for a place she describes as "a sealed container of emotional longing."

The cottage itself is far more impressive than photos suggest: a 2,500-square-foot glass-encased lake house designed in 2020 by architect Trevor McIvor, built with Douglas fir beams, floor-to-ceiling windows, Rothko-esque paintings, and a master bedroom wrapped in windows overlooking Muskoka Lake. Normally, the property rents for $15,000–$19,000 a week; the director of the leasing company tells Tingley it will likely hit $25,000 or more after the Airbnb promotion ends. The fandom is already circling — a viral TikTok surfaced that morning of two fans who flew in from L.A. just to film the exterior.

Tingley's visit has the texture of a personal essay as much as a location review. She's clearly a reluctant adventure-seeker — self-described as a "non-activity person" who finds endorphins depressing (borrowed from her mother) — and solo occupancy of a property designed for romantic couples or large groups throws the place's excess into comic relief. A remote-controlled swiveling TV, a private gym, a home theater with reclining chairs, a fire pit, and a floating rock on the lake all go largely unused. She seriously considers building a fire before deciding she'd "rather not risk burning down one of the most famous properties in Canada."

The emotional pivot comes at a dingy local pub called Frosty Pints, where she encounters Cheryl and Bobby — a couple who met in Muskoka as teenagers, lost touch for decades, and reconnected when Cheryl mailed a letter to his family's old cottage on a long shot. It reached his brother, who passed it along. They've now been married 20 years, live on nearby Kahshe Lake, spin vinyl, kayak, have tea parties, and host a 100-year-old tortoise named Norman. Neither has seen 'Heated Rivalry,' but Tingley concludes they're living their own version of "the cottage." When she explains what the show is, they laugh: "We're not watching that! But I'm sure the scenery is just beautiful."