Fans of Heated Rivalry have now come up with a new theory that suggests an alternate development. It involves Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander.
The Rachel Reid books stretch their romance over a decade, and now, HBO Max has picked up the rights to show it on the screen. The books witness them going through a lot and fighting for their relationship, before getting married and ending up on the same team. But now, there could be an issue.
Heated Rivalry fans’ theory suggests Ilya could develop Alzheimer’s disease
The fan theory for Heated Rivalry begins with Ilya’s father, Grigori Rozanov. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the books, and his memory declined to a point where he completely forgot that his wife was dead. On TV, his symptoms are much clearer.
That was enough for some fans to connect the dots. “Watching Heated Rivalry is fun until you realize Ilya’s dad has dementia,” TikTok user @lexiegracelin wrote in a video caption.
Because Alzheimer’s can have a hereditary component, this Heated Rivalry fan theory suggests that Ilya himself could be at risk later in life. The concern doesn’t stop there. As the theory points out, Ilya plays professional hockey, a high-contact sport where blows to the head are common.
One viral breakdown notes that “he plays hockey where fights and hits make his brain damaged and weaker… as well as drinks and smokes… significantly increasing his risk even more.” This ties his lifestyle to known risk factors for this neurodegenerative disease.
Readers of The Long Game also know that Ilya lives with depression. He was formally diagnosed with it in the book. The same fan analysis points out that low mood and cognitive changes can be linked to early stages of Alzheimer’s.
This only deepens the anxiety about what might lie ahead. The theory ends on a particularly heartbreaking note. It says, “Even if he falls in love with Shane, eventually he won’t recognize him or will lose to depression first.”
