Heated Rivalry

Ice hockey is the sport of tough guys, teeth demolished by flying pucks and maximum testosterone density in the stadium. No place for (passionate) love between two well-trained young men - or so you might think! But while the US ice hockey league NHL is still pondering its outdated image of men, the internet has long since stormed the locker room. In the "Televisionary Talk Club", hosts Sabine Pawletta and René Freudenthal tackle the global phenomenon "Heated Rivalry" - the hit series of the moment about a gay romance on skates. What drives millions of spellbound viewers around the world to collectively hold their breath during the (very) intimate ongoing feud between two top Canadian athletes? Is it the longing for a world in which the hardest 'check' ends in tender devotion, or simply the (very) handsome anatomy of the main actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams - both instant shooting stars? Deutschlandfunk culture critic Kais Harrabi, who reviewed the series for the broadcaster as a culture journalist, and romance strategist and bookseller Lena Frey dissect the literal on-screen crackle with the hosts. We ask ourselves: why is ice cream, of all places, the place where masculine masks fall with such relish? Harrabi and Frey know that the hottest dynamics are created when there's a real spark under the helmet. The motto of the "Televisionary Talk Club": Sophisticated? Sure. Serious? Only where it needs to be.

In cooperation with Regenbogen-Referat der University campus Freiburg & Rosa Hilfe Freiburg