“Heated Rivalry” star Robbie G.K. on that episode 5 kiss, auditioning for Scott first, and giving 'Skip' their happy moment
- - “Heated Rivalry” star Robbie G.K. on that episode 5 kiss, auditioning for Scott first, and giving 'Skip' their happy moment
Nick RomanoDecember 20, 2025 at 1:00 AM
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Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max
Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.) on 'Heated Rivalry' episode 5Key Points -
Robbie G.K. breaks down the big "Skip" moment on Heated Rivalry episode 5.
The Canadian actor recalls auditioning for the Scott Hunter role before landing Kip Grady.
G.K. opens up about the show's success, thirsty press headlines, and what he hopes to do next with this momentum.
Warning: This article contains spoilers from Heated Rivalry episode 5, "I'll Believe In Anything."
Robbie G.K.'s last day filming Heated Rivalry season 1 was a pretty major moment for "Skip."
Episode 5, titled "I'll Believe In Anything," finishes with all-star hockey pro Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) leading his team to win the hockey Super Bowl...or whatever it's called. (Listen, we're not watching this show for the sports!) And to celebrate, after spending his entire life in the closet, he gains the courage to bring his boyfriend, sweet juice bar barista Kip Grady (G.K.), onto the ice for a very public display of affection.
The Heated Rivalry crew filmed most of their hockey-centric scenes in this arena towards the end of production, at the same location the cast shot much of their marketing photos and videos that are now going around TikTok. G.K. remembers roughly 50-60 background extras populating the stands — that series creator Jacob Tierney and his team later used to create the illusion of a packed house in the edit.
"This was the only kiss or any type of intimate moment that Scott and Kip had in front of other people," the actor, also from Overcompensating and Sheriff Country, tells Entertainment Weekly. "Every time that we were outside in all of our previous scenes, it was a hands-in-pockets type deal. Now we're in front of the rest of the cast, as well, who we weren't able to see and we weren't doing scenes in front of as a couple, except for Nadine [Bhabha], who plays Elena. We had all of Scott Hunter's hockey team, all of the hockey players who were there for the day, to film all this. So it really did feel like a bit of a big kiss."
Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max
Robbie G.K. and François Arnaud filming the Skip kiss on 'Heated Rivalry' episode 5
Some might call this kiss Skip's happy ending, but G.K. plays coy. "At least a little happy milestone, hopefully," he teases. "We'll see." Perhaps he's saying this to avoid implying anything potentially spoiler-y one way or the other. He also doesn't want to suggest that he is or isn't in the season finale. Time will tell.
The Skip kiss is a relatively small part of the fifth episode, but it is the game-changing moment that gets Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) to agree to visit his own secret boyfriend, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), at his family cottage later that summer. (Book lovers know full well what's coming in the finale.) And even though the show itself has become quite the big deal, surpassing previous HBO Max heavy hitter It: Welcome to Derry at the top of the streamer's most-watched charts, G.K. is only just now sitting down for press interviews.
It's a mix of different factors, he explains, one of them being the "Skip" standalone episode was kept under wraps in the beginning. Even the title, which we now know to be "Hunter," was earlier redacted. On top of that, G.K. doesn't have a big publicity team behind him.
"It's really just been me and my agent who is now trying to keep up with everything and trying to get in front of as many people as we can," he shares. "Since the beginning, all I've wanted to do is scream from the rooftops about this show and talk about it and my involvement and everything like that. So I'm happy that I'm getting a chance to do that now."
Sabrina Lantos
François Arnaud as Scott Hunter and Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady on 'Heated Rivalry' episode 3
G.K., which stands for Graham-Kuntz, first auditioned for the role of Scott. Given his physical build and sports background (he plays rugby for a club in Vancouver), he typically auditions for the athletic type. However, Tierney and casting director Jenny Lewis wanted to see him for Kip instead.
"When I read Kip's character, I was like, 'Well, this is interesting. I don't really know what to put on this when I'm reading. I don't really know how to approach this,'" the actor recalls. "So I really was like, "I'm just gonna read it naturally and just try to pretend that I am chatting with friends and just try to be authentic and put whatever into this role.' And it seemed like that resonated the most."
Before his big episode with Arnaud aired, Tierney called him up. G.K. was in the middle of his daily routine, either going to the gym or getting groceries, when the showrunner texted, "Can I call you quick?"
Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max
'Heated Rivalry' episode 5's "Skip" kiss
"We started chatting and, yeah, he mentioned to me that Connor and Hudson's worlds are essentially imploding in the best way possible," G.K. recalls. "He's kind of saying 'brace for impact' for when episode 3 comes out."
He had his reservations. "No one knows who I am. We haven't advertised Kip as a character," G.K. remembers thinking. "I wasn't able to make the premiere, sadly, 'cause I had a shooting conflict in Toronto. I think it's important, too, when you get a phone call like that to not level set too high for yourself 'cause if you're like, 'My life's gonna change,' and it doesn't...then you're left feeling a little disappointed."
Looking back on it now, he agrees it did hit. His Instagram follower count rose from the 8-9k follower range to 125k a week later. (His page currently touts 129k.)
"I played this role in a TV show called The Next Step that aired on Family Channel here in Canada, and then I think it grew into a bigger thing with Disney, but I was only in that for like a season or two for a couple episodes," G.K. cites as an example. "There's one person on Instagram, and I can't remember their name, but they've gone through every single thing online that they can find me in and upload them to their Story on Instagram and then tag me. Some of these things I've never even seen before. This was before I was really online much."
HBO Max
Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.) on 'Heated Rivalry'
He also responds to an Out magazine article titled, "Feast your eyes on Robbie G.K.'s sexy body on Heated Rivalry."
"First off, obviously I appreciate the sentiment of the article and I appreciate the compliment, if there is a compliment in there," he starts. "But I really try not to fixate on things like that. It's really the type of thing that friends will send me and I will click on and laugh. It's very funny to read, but I really don't try to spend too much time reading that stuff 'cause it can really get into a rabbit hole."
He adds with a laugh, "Somebody was saying like, 'Robbie G.K.'s functional compact build.' I couldn't tell if this was a compliment or if it was an insult. All my friends were sending me that, as well, being like, 'What's up you little compact guy?'"
G.K. is now in a position where he can ponder what his next steps might be — not to be confused with his past Family Channel show. Williams, for one, recently posted an image of himself on social media next to a Nightwing comic book. He tagged DC Studios co-head James Gunn to start a campaign for that superhero role. G.K. remembers chatting with Williams at a coffee shop before he posted that.
"That's how stuff happens, you just put it out there," he acknowledges.
Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max
Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady on 'Heated Rivalry'
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If G.K. were to do the same, he says he'd love to continue playing his cop role on CBS series Sheriff Country, headlined by Morena Baccarin. "I love procedurals," he notes, "and I've always wanted to do a physical role [where] I can do my own stunts because I come from a competitive dance and sports background." He says he could "die happy" if he were to get that kind of consistent action-heavy gig, whether it'd be Marvel, Criminal Minds, or Law & Order.
Another dream would be performance capture. As an active player of PVP (player versus player) first-person shooters like Arc Raiders and Rocket League, he hopes to break into video game acting. "It's a really tough niche to get into, but if I could move heaven and earth or part the seas, I would say I would love to play a character in some type of video game or, like, Planet of the Apes," he says.
The Heated Rivalry season 1 finale airs Dec. 26 on HBO Max.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
