This week on Night School, Kristin Chirico returns for a full episode dedicated to Heated Rivalry, the hit hockey romance that accidentally turned into a full-scale internet fixation. We break down our theories as to why the show has taken over the internet by storm — from Hudson Williams’ quietly elite press tour and Gen Z’s built-in media fluency around queerness, to the rare on- and off-screen chemistry that feels impossible to fake and even harder to sustain once the spotlight hits.

We also get into the real risks of overnight fame, unpack the Heated Rivalry online discourse from women around desire and whether our partners are actually meeting our emotional needs, and make the case for taking more pictures of yourself while you’re still young. Equal parts media analysis and Heated Rivalry fangirling, the episode wraps with a listener advice question that brings it all back to real life.