10 Improvised Moments in Heated Rivalry Season 1

Some of the most iconic moments in Heated Rivalry Season 1 were never written in the script. Jacob Tierney's annotated scripts, "I'll Believe in Anything: The Making of Heated Rivalry", show exactly how every episode was written.

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Jacob scripted this show in close detail, especially the intimate scenes, so the actors always knew what they were doing. That makes the moments where Hudson and Connor went off script even more special.

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So here are 10 improv moments in Heated Rivalry season 1, in episode order, with Jacob's comment in the annotated script and which page you can find it.

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1. "More..."

Episode 1, p. 18

"I wanted my version of Shane to surprise himself. To me, the act of him accepting Ilya's touch here and replying is a way to do that—his body is leading and saying yes before his mind knows what's happening."

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2. The Staircase Chase

Episode 2, p. 81

"Connor and Hudson ended up chasing each other. It wasn't in the scene direction, but I liked it."

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3. Jacki's Face

Episode 2, p. 113

"In the episode, Jacki makes a face here. It wasn't planned, but I wanted Kamilla Kowal to show that Jacki doesn't like this kind of talk."

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4. "You're a fucking beautician"

Episode 5, p. 250

In the script, Cliff just says "Nice."

"In the final show, this line ended up being 'You're a goddamn beautician.' Franco Lo Presti improvised this, and it's absolutely a line from Letterkenny."

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5. "I'm sorry"

Episode 5, p. 277

"Connor said, 'I'm sorry,' here even though it wasn't in the script. It was less of a decision than something that just came out, but I wanted to keep it."

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6. "Bet... ter"

Episode 5, p. 300

"'Bet… ter' was all Hudson."

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7. Hudson Smacking Connor

Episode 6, p. 335

"Chala, Connor, and Hudson worked it all out beforehand without me, so much so that I didn't expect Hudson to start smacking Connor, but I loved it."

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8. Ilya's Pout on Shane's Knee

Episode 6, p. 337

"It was all Connor's idea to rest his chin on Hudson's knee and pout here. There were scripted elements, but Connor definitely took them for a ride."

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9. "Gimme kiss"

Episode 6, p. 349

"Connor said, 'Gimme kiss,' and I thought it was so cute that I kept it in."

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10. Shane's Reaction after David Walks in

Episode 6, p. 351

"Hudson imbued this scene with much more drama and emotion than I'd originally intended. I would have gone with a much smaller version of it, but my editor Véronique Barbe talked me into Hudson's take. She said, 'He's earned it.'"

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