Some actors thank their castmates. Some thank their families. And then there’s Hudson Williams, who looked at a major career milestone and decided the world needed one more speech about “bottom eyes.” Turns out, gay bottom eyes might not just win hearts online — they might also win awards.
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Heated Rivalry cleaned house at the Canadian Screen Awards on Sunday, proving once again that hockey romance, emotional damage, and intense eye contact remain a winning formula. The beloved series took home a staggering 16 awards, sweeping every category it was nominated in and cementing itself as one of the biggest success stories in recent Canadian TV memory.
Among the wins? Best Drama Series, Directing, Writing, Supporting Performance for Rose Landry actress Sophie Nélisse, and the fan-voted Cogeco Fund Audience Choice award, according to Deadline.
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Hudson Williams and the power of yearning
For Williams, the night also came with a personal milestone: his first major award win for Best Lead Performer. But if anyone expected a polished, serious acceptance speech now that trophies are involved, they clearly haven’t been paying attention.
This is, after all, the same actor who previously described his character as “jizzing and splizzing all over myself” during an infamous Buzzfeed video where he read thirsty fan tweets. Respectfully, nobody was expecting restraint.
While accepting the award, Williams made sure to share the spotlight with co-star Connor Storrie, who was ineligible due to being American, while also acknowledging one of the internet’s favorite observations about his character: the now-famous “yearning bottom eyes.”
“If I could cut this award down the middle I would because if these gay, yearning, little bottom eyes didn’t have a big sexy Russian to feast upon, my performance wouldn’t be as good. To the honorary Canadian Connor Storrie, I share this award with you,” the 25-year-old actor said.
“and if these gay yearning little bottom eyes didn’t have a big sexy russian to feast upon, my performance wouldn’t be as good. so to the honorary canadian connor storrie i share this award to you.” MY FUCKING FOOD pic.twitter.com/wvucNzFwI8
— mimi 𖤓˚࿔ (@noctrlzayns) June 1, 2026
There are acceptance speeches that thank “the craft.” Then there are acceptance speeches that accidentally validate months of thirst tweets.
Heated Rivalry’s record-breaking night
The awards themselves were almost secondary to just how thoroughly Heated Rivalry dominated the ceremony. The series wasn’t eligible for Emmy consideration this year because it’s a Canadian production, but the Canadian Screen Awards clearly made up for that technicality. Sixteen wins in one night isn’t just impressive — it’s the kind of sweep that makes everyone else at the table quietly check how many categories they lost.
Williams also took time to thank his parents for their support and his long-time partner, Katelyn Rose Larson, for helping keep him grounded, with both present in the audience during the emotional moment.
More hockey, more feelings, more chaos incoming
For fans already mourning the end of Season 1, there’s good news: the break won’t last forever. Season 2 of Heated Rivalry is scheduled to begin filming in August 2026, with a premiere currently slated for sometime in April 2027.
Until then, fans can celebrate the fact that after years of people joking about “gay bottom eyes,” science still hasn’t weighed in — but award voters apparently have.
At this point, the real question is no longer whether “gay bottom eyes” can win awards — clearly, they can — but whether audiences are officially ready to admit they’ve been emotionally influenced by them all along. Did Williams just give the most unintentionally scientific explanation of on-screen chemistry, or is this now the benchmark for acting credibility? Either way, fans seem to be in on the joke. So what do you think? Are we all just pretending we don’t understand the power of a well-placed yearning stare?