Owner of ‘Heated Rivalry’ cabin did some 'soul searching' before inviting show back for season 2

The owner of the cabin featured in the first season of the hit series Heated Rivalry shared that he needed to do some “soul searching” before deciding whether to allow the show to return for its second season.

In an interview with HGTV, Michael Kutryk said he did some pondering when the production team contacted him about using his cabin to film the series’ second season.

“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 said.

"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 Season 1 finale of Heated Rivalry, titled “The Cottage,” in which Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) brought Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) to his remote family cabin for a private getaway.

The owner said he initially rented his house to the show for "almost nothing," after producers told him they had a "very small budget." He had no idea what he was getting into until black SUVs began arriving just before filming.

"[The crew members] started saying, ‘This is where we’ll put the porta-potties. This is where we’ll put the outdoor kitchen.’ I said, ‘Wait a minute, I thought this was supposed to be a small production? How many people are gonna be here?'”

He later saw about 45 crew members arrive—small by film standards, but overwhelming to him. “But it did not seem small to me!” Michael says. “I had never imagined so many people.” He nearly backed out but agreed to the two-day shoot.

According to the article, Kutryk, a Toronto-based doctor, said he remains undecided about allowing the production to return, noting that he is a private person.

“It's still true: I’m a private guy. This is my retreat. I built this to get away from the world, so I don’t know how much longer I’ll continue to share it. [And] I already share it: There’s a huge buck who lives with his harem on the property, and when I was trying to plant the flower beds, I came upon three different patches of turtle eggs. They still come and lay their eggs there," he added.