After “Heated Rivalry” Fans are Turned Away from a Local Bar, a Stranger Welcomes Them into His Home (Exclusive)
- - After “Heated Rivalry” Fans are Turned Away from a Local Bar, a Stranger Welcomes Them into His Home (Exclusive)
Ashley VegaDecember 30, 2025 at 3:02 AM
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Louise Cheer
Heated Rivalry fans gathered at a strangers home to watch the season finale -
A group of Heated Rivalry fans were left stranded in a snowstorm after a New York City bar hit capacity for a watch party
When nearby bars couldn’t play the episode, a stranger who lived nearby invited the group back to his apartment
The impromptu watch party brought together more than 20 strangers and sparked a viral moment of community and connection
On a snowy Friday night in New York City, what began as a routine plan to watch a TV show at a bar quietly turned into something much bigger. A group of strangers ended up crowded into a living room, bonding over Heated Rivalry and creating a moment that would soon resonate far beyond one apartment.
The night unfolded outside Wilka’s in NYC, where fans lined up in the snow for a watch party scheduled to start at 8 p.m. The bar quickly hit capacity, and the line stretched out the door and down the street.
“It was such a fun and spontaneous evening,” Catherine Daniel tells PEOPLE, who later posted a TikTok video of the gathering. “I went to the bar in my pajamas and winter coat through the snow.”
By the time Daniel arrived, there was no chance of getting inside, with fans lingering outside in the cold. “Once I got there we realized there was no more room, so a group of us came up with a plan,” she says.
That plan involved trying nearby bars, but none were able to play the episode, though one offered to show it without sound, which wasn’t the experience fans were hoping for.
As the group weighed their options on the sidewalk, an unexpected solution came from within the line itself. Jon Chan, who lived just a block away, offered his apartment to the group.
“I live literally a block away,” Chan tells PEOPLE. “Knowing how much I love this show, and how warm and incredible this fandom has been, I figured: why not just invite everyone over?”
Chan says he had spent most of the day alone because he wasn’t feeling well. “Going to the watch party at Wilkas was actually the only time I left my apartment,” he says.
When he arrived at the bar, he immediately noticed how many fans were left outside. “There were maybe 50 people stranded in the snow peeking through the glass,” he says. After another bar attempt failed, Chan’s offer became a plan. A group of attendees followed him to a nearby bodega before heading to his apartment.
“So we stopped, grabbed some ginger ale and snacks, and headed to my place,” Chan says. Soon, 21 people were gathered in his living room. Daniel says the stop felt like a knowing detail for fans of the show. “Of course we stopped for ginger ale,” she adds.
Louise Cheer
Heated Rivalry Fans posing with ginger ale
Inside the apartment, attendees gathered around the television, some watching the episode for the first time. Others had already seen it and were eager to experience it again together.
“Those of us who had already watched sat in the corner and recorded any time we knew a good part was coming,” Daniel says. “Just watching it again with people and seeing that all the emotions I had felt were the same in that room was so comforting.”
The room filled with laughter, gasps, and tears as the finale played. What could have felt awkward instead felt effortless.
“I feel like some people would think this show is silly or not understand why we would love it,” Daniel says. “But it was so great to just watch a love story just unfold and bring joy to the characters and to the viewers.”
For Chan, one scene struck especially close to home. “There was one scene in particular that really got me when Shane has that emotional conversation with his mom,” he says.
Chan says the storyline reflected his own experiences. “I’m a millennial, I’m Asian, and I came out as gay when I was 14,” he says. “I remember how hard that was, and it was a different time then.”
“When the people I’d just invited over saw me getting emotional, they comforted me without hesitation,” Chan says. “These were strangers an hour earlier.”
That support carried extra weight during a difficult year. “Recovering from heartbreak has been hard,” he says. “To have this unexpected gift of community meant everything,” Chan adds. The kindness extended beyond the episode itself.
“Everyone was so sweet and considerate,” he says. “They even helped clean up afterwards.”
Daniela Perez Germosen/Instagram
Daniela Perez Germosen's Instagram
Before the night ended, the group found a way to stay connected. A group chat called Jon’s Cottage was created, a nod to episode six of the series. “We’re already talking about what we’ll do for season two,” Chan says. What began as a last-minute solution had become something lasting.
For attendee Louise Cheer, the night captured what made the experience special. “It was such a wholesome experience because this TV show has really brought people together,” she tells PEOPLE.
“It was so special to be in a room with a group of people who shared the same interest and enthusiasm for Heated Rivalry as me,” Cheer says. She also points to the importance of representation.
“It’s been so great to see a show like this that has an Asian man as a romantic lead and people are just eating it up,” she says.
The gathering may have remained a private memory if not for social media. Daniel’s TikTok video showed the group packed into the living room, reacting together. The caption read, “When you try to go to a bar to watch Heated Rivalry but it’s too crowded so you form a crew to find your own cottage.”
Another attendee, Daniela Perez Germosen, also shared the night on Instagram. Her text overlay read, “Did I went out during a storm to watch the season finale of Heated Rivalry.”
View this post on Instagram
“Made some friends at the Wilka’s line,” the overlay continued. “Ended up at a stranger’s apartment and had an impromptu watch party.”
The posts struck a chord online, with viewers praising the kindness and spontaneity behind the moment. What began as a snowy inconvenience became something many recognized as special.
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For Daniel, the experience felt deeply tied to city life. “It reminds me why I love living in the city,” she says.
“It felt like the kind of spontaneous community moment that could only happen in New York City,” Chan adds. For him, the night marked a meaningful ending. “I can’t imagine a better way to end this show and this year. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
