Any takeaways from this episode?

This week on Rom-Com Rescue, we are diving headfirst into the internet-melting, emotionally devastating, wildly addictive rom-com series Heated Rivalry starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie (2025), now streaming on HBO Max.

Hockey rivals.
Secret lovers.
A decade-long slow burn.
One cottage that changed everything.
And yes — some of the most talked-about butts on screen.

We’re breaking down why Heated Rivalry has taken over timelines, group chats, and late-night thoughts — and why this story hits so deeply for so many people.

On the surface, this is a sexy rivals-to-lovers romance between Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. But underneath? This show taps directly into anxious attachment, avoidant coping, long-distance fantasy, secrecy, and the very human desire to be chosen — fully and openly.

In this episode, Kira and Dr. Isabelle Morley unpack:

• Why long-distance + time creates powerful fantasy bonds
• How secrecy intensifies intimacy (and where it goes wrong)
• The anxious–avoidant push/pull dynamic at the heart of the story
• Why sex can feel like closeness — even when emotional intimacy is missing
• What makes this show feel emotionally safe in a way so many romances don’t

We also talk about:

• Why this story resonated so strongly with women
• What it means to feel wanted vs. chosen
• Healthy vs. unhealthy longing
• Representation without trauma
• And why so many of us are still thinking about the cottage

This is not a recap podcast.
This is a relationship dynamics deep dive — and Heated Rivalry gives us a LOT to work with.

Come talk with us about your favorite rom-coms on instagram, tiktok, & youtube and Bluesky!

Get show notes, transcripts, and more information on at Rom-ComRescue.com

Any takeaways from this episode?

House swapping, hot drunk Englishman, personal movie trailers, and Mr. Napkinhead!

That's right, we are watching the 2006 rom-com series THE HOLIDAY, with Kate Winslet, Cameron DIaz, Jude Law and Jack Black.

In this episode of RomCom Rescue, Kira and Dr. Isabelle go deep into the cozy chaos of The Holiday—house swaps, emotional avoidance, unrequited “love,” and why Jasper is the human equivalent of a walking red flag.

You’ll hear us unpack:

• Iris, Jasper, and the myth of unrequited love
  • Why Iris’s “epic love story” with Jasper is actually a long-term crush with terrible ROI
  • How we confuse attention with intention
  • What it really costs you to keep hanging on to someone who will never fully choose you
• Crush vs. Love (a.k.a. Love-Adjacent Feelings)
  • What makes a crush different from genuine love
  • How fantasy can feel safer than real intimacy
  • Questions to ask yourself if you’ve been stuck on someone for months (or years)
• Amanda, emotional avoidance, and finally crying in the car
  • Why some people literally can’t cry and what’s underneath that
  • How emotional unavailability shows up in relationships
  • The difference between calling someone out vs. weaponizing their coping skills
• Graham, kids, and complicated timing
  • The rush into “I love you” after two weeks (with children involved)
  • What a healthier “I have feelings for you” might sound like
  • Why step-parent energy needs more than a holiday montage to work
• Miles, green flags, and why friendship-first relationships matter
  • Why Miles is basically a walking green flag (with one big misstep)
  • The tension between prioritizing romantic partners vs. friendships
  • How both Iris and Miles are recovering from lopsided relationships
• Best friends vs. leading ladies
  • Arthur’s iconic line about being the leading lady in your own life
  • Why we’re done equating being “the best friend” with being less deserving of love
  • How to stop sidelining yourself in your own story
• Sex, foreplay & bad messages we don’t want you absorbing
  • Why “foreplay is overrated” is a terrible love (and sex) lesson
  • What good, enthusiastic, mutual intimacy actually looks like
• Holiday comfort, nostalgia, and a little trivia
  • Nancy Meyers house porn, Blackberry sightings, and OG house swapping
  • The real-life history between Kate Winslet and Rufus Sewell
  • Why this is one of Isabelle’s all-time favorite rom-coms and Kira’s go-to holiday rewatch

Finally, we rate The Holiday on both movie joy and love lessons—with Isabelle wildly breaking the 5-star system and Kira pretending to enforce it.

Join us next for 2025 Holiday Rom-Com - My Secret Santa

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Come talk with us about your favorite rom-coms on instagram, tiktok, & youtube and Bluesky!

Get show notes, transcripts, and more information on at Rom-ComRescue.com

Any takeaways from this episode?

Ring mix-ups. NYC holiday magic. Fresh bread and cornettos for days.
This week on RomCom Rescue, we’re breaking down Something From Tiffany’s (2022) — the cozy, charming, slightly chaotic holiday rom-com currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

We get into:
💍 The Tiffany’s ring mix-up that launches the whole story
🎄 Why NYC at Christmas is basically its own character
🚩 The red flags that are NOT festive — Gary, we’re looking at you
❤️ When holiday magic blinds us to very real relationship issues
🧠 Why you should never be shocked by a proposal in 2025
👧 Daisy: the most emotionally mature person in this entire movie
🔥 And whether Ethan & Rachel have an actual shot… or if we’re just rom-com magic blind

We’re talking chemistry, timing, boundaries, intention, emotional availability, and why “it’s complicated” usually just means no one is steering the damn ship.

If you love:
— Cozy NYC streets
— Pastries as a love language
— Holiday rom-coms with actual nuance
— And characters who are charming and a little chaotic

…this episode is your December comfort watch in podcast form.

📺 Watch Something From Tiffany’s on Amazon Prime
📲 Vote in our Instagram polls & DM us your hot takes
🎧 Follow/subscribe so you never miss a holiday breakdown

Because at the end of the day…
💫 We create our own happily ever afters — and yes, order the cornetto.

Come talk with us about your favorite rom-coms on instagram, tiktok, & youtube and Bluesky!

Get show notes, transcripts, and more information on at Rom-ComRescue.com

Any takeaways from this episode?

This week, we’re heading straight into the French countryside — where the champagne is crisp, the men have fantastic accents, and apparently everyone has access to an impossibly charming bookstore.

Think:
📍 The French countryside
📍 Stoic Germans
📍 Champagne (so much champagne)
📍 Silly heirs & family drama
📍 Hidden childhood books
📍 Bookstore kisses
📍 And two incredibly emotionally mature adults

What We Get Into This Episode

❤️ Why this movie restored our faith in rom-coms

After months of mediocre rom-com chaos, Champagne Problems came along like a warm baguette to the soul. Real adults! Healthy communication! No messy exes showing up at the 11th hour!

💬 The “grown-ass-adult energy” of both leads

We talk about why Sydney and Henri might be two of the most refreshingly secure rom-com characters in years.
No games.
No nonsense.
Just actual vulnerability and direct communication.
Honestly? Revolutionary.

📦 Why people “fall in love” while traveling

Kira unpacks why vacation romance hits different — and why it’s SO much easier to be your real self when you don’t think you’ll see someone again.

☕ Safety PSA: The one moment that wasn’t it

Listen, sleeping with a charming French stranger your first night abroad sounds romantic, but we break down why it's also… not always the safest move.

🛍️ The emotional maturity we loved to see

Including the tiny, beautiful moment when Sydney sets a boundary between Henri and his dad — without inserting herself or playing savior.

🤣 The comedy MVPs: Roberto & Otto

We pull the best lines, including:

• “My body is a temple. Mine is more of a bouncy castle.”
• “I drink champagne, I throw parties, and I know things.”

📚 The big love lesson: Love doesn’t need chaos to be interesting

This movie proves that two kind, grounded humans with good values are compelling enough to carry a story.
Drama optional.
Champagne mandatory.

Come talk with us about your favorite rom-coms on instagram, tiktok, & youtube and Bluesky!

Get show notes, transcripts, and more information on at Rom-ComRescue.com

Any takeaways from this episode?

Welcome to the Rom-Com Rescue Holiday Extravaganza! Six holiday rom-coms over the next six weeks!

Conscious uncoupling, gingerbread throwdowns, one last “totally normal” family Christmas, inconvenient new crushes… and Pierson Fode in candy-cane underwear. That’s right. We went there.

This week on RomCom Rescue, Kira and Dr. Izzy break down Netflix’s brand-new 2025 holiday rom-com Merry Little Ex-Mas starring Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson, Jamila Jamil, and Pierson Fode— and let’s just say:
It is was rough for us.

Not magical. Not cozy. Not even Hot Frosty-level cute.

But it is full of relationship red flags, questionable choices, unmatched chaos, and enough emotional immaturity to keep two therapists busy until 2028.

We cover:

🎄 Conscious Uncoupling… or Conscious Unraveling?
Why this movie is basically a PSA for “please don’t date people who aren’t actually divorced yet.”

🍪 The Gingerbread House Incident Heard ‘Round the World
Unregulated emotions, public meltdowns, and one truly tragic cookie crime scene.

❤️ New Crushes, Old Wounds & Pierson Fode
Why he was here. Why he should’ve been an elf. And why none of it made sense.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The Kids Who Deserved Better
Divorce logistics, blurred boundaries, holiday blending gone wrong, and the parenting decisions that had us yelling at our TVs.

🌱 Kate’s Villain Era (and Environmental Rage)
Control issues, projection, victim mindset, and why being “right” doesn’t make you good at relationships.

🏡 Why the Ending Doesn’t Actually Fix Anything
Indoor grills are not couples therapy.
Perfume ≠ emotional maturity.
And “let’s just go back to how things were” is not a plot arc.

💡 Love Lessons (If We Squint)
– Don’t date someone mid-divorce.
– Don’t bring new partners home for the holidays when your marriage isn’t actually over.
– Take responsibility for your choices.
– Stop projecting your fears onto your kids.
– And for the love of Santa: get a therapist before you get a rebound.

📉 The Final Verdict:
Tacos: 1/5
Love Lessons: 1/5
Butterflies: 0
Plot Holes: Infinity

Find RomCom Rescue wherever you get your podcasts — Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Google, PocketCasts — all the places.

Next week: We’re tackling Champagne Problems (Netflix, Nov 19) with Minka Kelly & Tom Woznicka.
Fingers crossed it’s better. (It has to be. Right?)

And remember:
We believe we create our own happily ever afters… and please, for the love of god, don’t date people before they’re divorced.

Come talk with us about your favorite rom-coms on instagram, tiktok, & youtube and Bluesky!

Get show notes, transcripts, and more information on at Rom-ComRescue.com

Any takeaways from this episode?

Down-on-their-luck artists, reality dating chaos, mean girls and sabotage—The Wrong Paris has all the ingredients of a romcom…and almost none of the actual love lessons.

This week on RomCom Rescue, Kira and Dr. Isabelle break down the 2025 Netflix romcom The Wrong Paris starring Miranda Cosgrove and Pierson Fodé—and they’re joined by Nick Thompson from Love Is Blind Season 2 and president of the UCAN Foundation (Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network).

Together, they pull back the curtain on reality dating shows and ask:

Are these setups actually about love—or just entertainment dressed up as a fairytale?

In this episode, we get into:

• The Wrong Paris recap
• Reality dating shows vs real love
• Manipulation, archetypes & editing
• Women competing vs actually connecting
• Paradox of choice & dating apps
• Avoidance, independence & self-protection
• Will Dawn & Trey make it?
• Nick’s reality check on “success stories”

Guest Spotlight: Nick Thompson

Nick Thompson is a former cast member from Love Is Blind Season 2 and the President of the UCAN Foundation (Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network), a nonprofit that supports reality TV contestants’ mental health, rights, and wellbeing while advocating for industry reform.

Watch & Connect

• 🎥 Watch: The Wrong Paris — currently streaming on Netflix
• 🧠 Learn more about UCAN: Go to the UCAN site to support their work with reality TV cast members.
• 💌 Share your hot takes:
  • Was The Wrong Paris relationship goals or a walking red flag parade?
  • Vote in our Instagram polls and DM us your thoughts.

Come talk with us about your favorite rom-coms on instagram, tiktok, & youtube and Bluesky!

Get show notes, transcripts, and more information on at Rom-ComRescue.com

Any takeaways from this episode?

Underwhelmed and a little fired up: we unpack Season 2’s recycled arcs, interfaith stalemates, weaponized ‘good guy’ energy, and a wildly unethical storyline.

Spoiler alert: We spoil Season 2 of Nobody Wants This (Netflix). Proceed caffeinated.

This week Kira and Dr. Isabelle dive into Season 2 of Nobody Wants This with Adam Brody and Kristen Bell—and why, despite stellar performances, the story stalls.

We break down the interfaith impasse (values vs. pressure), Noah’s performative “good guy” pattern, and how a nightstand somehow became peak romance.

We also cover Esther/Sasha’s whiplash baby talk, Morgan’s messy choices, and the biggest red flag of all: a therapist who dates a (very recent) former client. We talk power dynamics, love-bombing, and why “leaving an abuser” scenes on TV skip the most dangerous part in real life.

Bright spots? Joanne’s divorced parents modeling mature, joyful post-marriage connection—and Rebecca living her best life.

Tacos were stingy this week, but the conversation’s meaty.

Come talk with us about your favorite rom-coms on instagram, tiktok, & youtube and Bluesky!

Get show notes, transcripts, and more information on at Rom-ComRescue.com

Any takeaways from this episode?

To celebrate the incomparable Diane Keaton, we’re revisiting the friendship-forward classic The First Wives Club (1996) starring Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn—a sharp, funny heist-of-the-heart about loyalty, divorce, and getting your voice back. We unpack what still works, what didn’t age well, and the modern love lessons anyone can use.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why friendship is a legit love story (and how to nurture it)
• What self-abandonment looks like (and a simple test to catch it)
• How “cool-girl” ambiguity creates heartbreak—and a one-line clarity script to prevent it
• Money, power, and ‘90s gender roles (plus: “where were the lawyers?”)
• Spot-the-red-flag therapy ethics from a wild plotline
• Confidence vs self-worth (and why external validation backfires)
• Aging, attraction, and building relationships that fit your life

Hosts:

• Kira Sabin — Healthy dating educator, certified coach, positive psychology practitioner
• Dr. Isabelle “Izzy” Morley — Licensed clinical psychologist, EFT-certified couples therapist

Where to watch the movie: Free (with ads) on Pluto TV and YouTube (availability may change).

We talk about:

• Friendship as a love story
• Self-abandonment: signs, costs, and repairs
• 90s gender roles, money control & legal realities
• Ethics corner: the therapist subplot (red flags to know)
• Confidence vs self-worth (and how to build the latter)
• Clarity over “cool-girl”: the one question to ask
• Aging & attraction: making love on your terms
• Favorite lines + what still holds up
• If they were our clients: tailored homework
• Ratings & takeaways

Come talk with us about your favorite rom-coms on instagram, tiktok, & youtube and Bluesky!

Get show notes, transcripts, and more information on at Rom-ComRescue.com