A months-long speculation surrounding the alleged romance between Heated Rivalry costars Connor Storrie<\/a> (Ilya Rozanov) and Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud<\/a> (Scott Hunter) has not only persisted, but is now getting mainstream coverage \u2014 even if it is referred to as a “bromance” \u2014 from publications like Vogue<\/a>, Cosmopolitan<\/a>, Just Jared<\/a>, and Elle<\/a>.<\/p>\n While a significant portion of the Heated Rivalry fandom is still protective of the actors who starred in the Crave Canada\/HBO Max TV show, just as many fans are searching for connections between Storrie and Arnaud (evidenced by Google Trends queries<\/a>), and are being fed rumors shared all over social media (evidenced by posts on Instagram<\/a>, X\/Twitter<\/a>, Reddit<\/a>, and Threads<\/a>, among other platforms).<\/p>\n At this point, whether a particular Heated Rivalry fan likes it or not, this connection between Storrie and Arnaud is ubiquitous. Keep scrolling to explore this timeline of events, which includes what we do know, what we don’t know, and how these actors are navigating the discourse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Is Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud gay?<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud as Scott Hunter on Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n HBO Max\/Crave Canada<\/small><\/p>\n No, Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud is bisexual. The Heated Rivalry actor, who turned 40 last year, came out as bisexual in 2020<\/a> and has since expressed in numerous interviews that he’s not thrilled to discuss the subject at all times.<\/p>\n The reason why Arnaud’s sexuality has resurfaced since the premiere of Heated Rivalry is that he’s the only main actor (between Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, and Robbie G.K.) who identifies as an out person in the LGBTQ<\/a>+ community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Is Connor Storrie gay?<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov on Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n HBO Max\/Crave Canada<\/small><\/p>\n Connor Storrie has never publicly discussed his sexuality. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Is Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud single?<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n Fran\u00e7oisArnaud as Scott Hunter on Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n HBO Max\/Crave Canada<\/small><\/p>\n Arnaud said it’s “none of your fucking business” when asked if he’s single<\/a> by Andy Cohen in the January 19 episode of Watch What Happens Live. However, there is more than one layer here, which most Heated Rivalry fans seem to have misunderstood.<\/p>\n Besides being the only main cast member in Heated Rivalry to identify as non-straight, Arnaud was already a well-known actor before the hit hockey series. With acting credits on TV shows like The Borgias, Yellowjackets, UnReal, and Schitt’s Creek, plus films such as Twinless and Canadian, Sniper, the actor has had a sizable career, and his personal life was covered alongside that trajectory.<\/p>\n When Arnaud came out in 2020, that made headlines. When Arnaud started dating fellow actor Marc Bendavid in 2022, that also made headlines. So, even though Arnaud has avoided disclosing new updates about his dating life, he was in a public relationship with another actor for several years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Around mid-December, Arnaud posted a selfie with his dog and wrote, “Family of two.” The post made headlines, just like all of the aforementioned relationship updates, and reinvigorated an intense discourse surrounding the actor’s singlehood, given that the selfie and its caption suggested that he was no longer with Bendavid.<\/p>\n To reiterate: Arnaud is right in saying that it’s no one’s business to know who he’s dating, and when it began, and how it ended. On the other hand, cryptic messages were shared on social media suggesting that his relationship status changed, and no clarification was ever shared by the actor until his response to Cohen on WWHL.<\/p>\n Diehard Heated Rivalry fans assumed that Cohen asked Arnaud if he was dating Storrie on the Bravo talk show, but it could very well be that the question was about Bendavid. Herein lies the chaotic speculation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Why do Heated Rivalry fans think that Connor Storrie and Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud are dating?<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n It’s unclear if Storrie is dating anyone. It’s also not public knowledge whether or not Arnaud is with Bendavid, single, or seeing a new person. Since declaring that he and his dog are a “family of two,” gossip blogs started covering Arnaud’s regular public appearances alongside Heated Rivalry costar Storrie.<\/p>\n Besides Arnaud’s dating life being no one’s “fucking business,” the conclusion that he was dating Storrie seemed out of the blue, given that Arnaud just came off as a supportive peer to several of his costars \u2014 most of whom were experiencing this level of fame (or any fame) for the first time.<\/p>\n Arnaud’s public appearances with Robbie G.K.<\/a>, with Hudson Williams<\/a>, with Nadine Bhabha<\/a>, and with Sophie N\u00e9lisse<\/a>, among others, were further evidence that he wasn’t just going out in public with Storrie. So\u2026 are Connor Storrie and Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud dating?<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n The Arnaud and Storrie showmance speculation grew throughout January 2026 as the actors attended multiple events together and seemed to be on a different itinerary (between the two of them) from the rest of the cast. Again, this is all conjecture, and such discussions sprung from the appearance that these two actors are being spotted together much more frequently than everyone else. Toward the end of January, British Vogue<\/a> shared a headline that literally reads, “Connor Storrie And Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud Test-Drive Couple’s Dressing.”<\/a><\/p>\n Otherwise, most of those reports came from pretty scary videos of the actors being followed by reporters<\/a> asking wild questions while they attempted to enter and exit an airport, or a hotel, for instance. There were also photos and clips that served as stepping stones<\/a> for Heated Rivalry fans to believe even more intensely in this potential new ship<\/a>, which already has a few nicknames, such as “Concois” and “Francon.”<\/p>\n Dedicated fan pages, like @concoisfiles<\/a> and @franconfan<\/a>, are quickly amassing thousands of followers on X, and are still sharing several posts<\/a> getting thousands of likes and views across social networks. Kicking off February, Arnaud and Storrie were spotted at a W Magazine<\/a> after party following the 2026 Grammy Awards, which made headlines all over again \u2014 such as a report from Harper’s Bazaar<\/a> \u2014 and created another wave of viral social media posts.<\/p>\n It’s worth noting one last time though, that the stakes here are a bit higher than just two single actors who may or may not be in a new relationship with each other.<\/p>\n First and foremost, the theory is dependent on a presumption of Storrie’s sexuality, which isn’t a good thing. Intense speculation of this kind has led many celebrities<\/a> to feel forced to come out before they were ready<\/a> to do so. In addition, this discourse has prompted numerous awkward statements from celebrities who had to clarify that no, they are actually just straight \u2014 pretty much “coming out as straight.”<\/a><\/p>\n This showmance also draws conclusions about Arnaud’s years-long relationship with Bendavid being over, which isn’t an update shared by either of the involved parties.<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Francois](\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/media-library\/francois-arnaud-as-scott-hunter-on-heated-rivalry.jpg?id=62288927&width=980\")
![\"Connor](\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/media-library\/connor-storrie-as-ilya-rozanov-on-heated-rivalry.jpg?id=62638591&width=980\")
![\"\\u200bFrancois](\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/media-library\/u200bfrancois-arnaud-as-scott-hunter-on-u200bheated-rivalry-u200b.jpg?id=62284869&width=980\")