Michael Kutryk, the owner of the now-famous cabin featured in “Heated Rivalry” Season 1, said he needed to do some “soul searching” before allowing the HBO production to come back for Season 2.
“I did a little bit of soul searching about allowing them to come back,” Kutryk told HGTV. “I know they need it, and I realize I [could] be difficult and try to squeeze them, but I [couldn’t] bring myself to do that.”
He continued, “When they called, they said, ‘How much do you want?’ First, I told them they scratched my table, then I named a very reasonable price. They were shocked and appreciative. I actually didn’t even get them to replace my table.”
Kutryk’s house was featured in the “Heated Rivalry” Season 1 finale, titled “The Cottage,” in which Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) brings Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) to his remote family cabin for a private getaway. Kutryk, a Toronto doctor, said he was shocked when he first listened to Rachel Reid’s “Game Changer,” on which the show is based, on audiobook.
“My jaw just dropped as I listened. The pretty explicit nature of the book made me wonder just what they’d be filming … and showing!” Kutryk said. “I just thought, OK, they’re gonna film what they’re gonna film. What’s done is done.”
