‘Heated Rivalry’s Connor Storrie & James Austin Johnson Face Off In Accent Duel In ‘SNL’ Promo

Connor Storrie has one of the best Russian accents around, as we’ve seen via his character Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry, and he’s ready to show it off in a promo ahead of his guest-hosting stint on SNL this week.

The clip starts with Storrie, and cast members Ashley Padilla and Marcelo Hernandez dishing on Heated Rivalry. “By the finale, I was completely dehydrated,” shares Padilla to which a pleased Storrie replies “You’re welcome.”

Hernandez then brings up Storrie’s convincing Russian accent on the show and Storrie reveals he “does all kinds of accents.” Enter James Austin Johnson who’s up for a challenge and the two engage in an accent duel in a Western-style showdown. Padilla and Hernandez toss out different accents – German (in which Storrie slugs a beer), Cajun, French, Shrek, Na’vi — even Shakespeare.

When asked to do their best Jamaican accent, both think no. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” says a hesitant Storrie. 

At one point, when challenged to do a Russian accent, Storrie declares: “When you get to Hell, tell them Rozanov sent you.”

SNL spoofed Heated Rivalry upon its midseason return, in a sketch that featured host Finn Wolfhard and cast member Ben Marshall as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, respectively, in a sendup called “Heated Wizardry”.

This will be Storrie’s first time hosting SNL, with Mumford & Sons as musical guest. They’ll be promoting their upcoming album Prizefighter, which is set to be released on Feb. 20.

SNL is produced in association with creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video.

Check out the clip above.