
(Photo: Getty)
After skating to a mash-up of songs from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack on February 11, ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir netted Canada the country’s first 2018 Olympic gold medal. They also bagged themselves a cult following of adoring fans on social media from across the world who appear to want nothing more than to see these two childhood besties profess their undying love for each other (same).
The routine that melted our icy hearts
We dare you to watch Virtue and Moir’s Moulin Rouge routine without getting all hot and bothered. After devastating us with talks of potential retirement in 2014, the duo returned to the ice for the Olympic Games in PyeongChang and completely wowed judges during the team figure skating event. Their sizzling comeback featured a move deemed so “risqué” it had to be toned down to be a little more “family-friendly.”
Here’s a look at the routine, with French commentary that only makes it feel even more H-O-T. Oh mon Dieu.
« Prodigieux. On vient de vivre un très grand moment. »@TessaVirtue et @ScottMoir ont envoûté la foule avec cette performance, selon Alain Goldberg #PyeongChang2018 #RColympiques #EquipeCanada #patinageartistique #VirtueMoir@SkateCanada pic.twitter.com/JUrBI94JYM
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 12, 2018
Reporting on the team skating event, CBC Sports literally gushed: “Roxanne is not about their quest for a fourth Olympic medal, but rather the creation of a program designed to be remembered for a lifetime—one inspired by art, honed by a passionate supporting cast and to be performed by the greatest ice dance pair in Canadian history.”
And as Moir told the Toronto Star, “It’s so emotional and so layered and so nuanced that you feel the spectrum of emotions. There’s aggression, there’s passion, there’s anger, there’s jealousy, there’s love. There’s so much to tell and we’re trying to tell that a little more physically than anything.” Yeah, physically, riiiiight.
The rest of the world is totally smitten
Canadians have long been in love with Virtue and Moir: their partnership spans more than two decades, making the pair not only our country’s longest-running ice dance duo, but also the most decorated. Judging by the flood of tweets after the team skating event—some of which read like fan fiction imagining future nuptials—it looks like the rest of the world has finally caught up to what we’ve known all along.
Are you telling me those moulin rouge canadian skaters arent madly in love with one another? because you are a LIAR.
— katherine speller. (@Kathriller) February 12, 2018
Tessa and Scott: “we’re just friends!”
Also Tessa and Scott:
pic.twitter.com/3WUN1ZS4hE
— Allison Keene (@keeneTV) February 13, 2018
wow, I’m hearing that CBS has given a 13-episode order to Virtue and Moir, a show about dancing ice detectives
— David Sims (@davidlsims) February 12, 2018
Life lesson youngins: Find someone who looks at you the way Virtue and Moir look at each other. #TeamCanada #pyeongchang2018 pic.twitter.com/WtryhMaPmZ
— Lucas Meyer (@meyer_lucas) February 11, 2018
Can Virtue and Moir just end their career after these olympics with a big “lol jokes on you fam we’ve been in love all along”
— Andrea (@aaperezzle) February 11, 2018
Some of the *theories* got pretty intense:
WHAT IF, Virtue & Moir have been semi-secretly pining for each other lo these 20 years BUT they knew their unfulfilled yearnings were what powered their on-ice chemistry so they sublimated for glory BUT NOW IT IS TIME? pic.twitter.com/SWTJz5btL9
— Jenny Holiday (@jennyholi) February 12, 2018
So are they or aren’t they together?
While we know we shouldn’t even be asking a question like this, and instead just focusing on their incredible achievements in such a competitive sport, we can’t help but speculate. And Moir and Virtue’s interviews are kind of a tease, to be honest. As reported by Time: “Virtue has also said that their relationship is ‘complicated,’” given all that time they’ve spent together training over the years. Plus, the pair is quick to share compliments about the other, and even call each other “best friends.”
Apparently, romance was in the air at one point… when they were kids. Childhood coach, Paul MacIntosh, shared their short-lived love story with us—and it was a treat.
PAUL MACINTOSH PUTTING SCOTT ON BLAST I LIVE FOR IT #VirtueMoir pic.twitter.com/nDDvIXlWhX
— tear-ah (@ladyfriday87) February 11, 2018
In an interview with Sportsnet, Moir talked about the pair’s chemistry rather cheekily: “Maybe that means we’re doing our job? We’re always telling stories, we’re supposed to be reacting, a man and woman on the ice, it’s romantic. What we have is such a cool relationship. It’s more about a friendship.” When asked directly if they were in fact married, Virtue was even more ambiguous: “That’s part of the storytelling we do on the ice. If that’s the by-product of having a great longstanding partnership, then we can deal with it.”
Sure, it’s “more of a friendship,” Scott—and just “part of the storytelling,” Tessa—sure. We want to believe you, we really do, but we’re not buying it—and neither are our friends on the internet.
PLATONIC #VirtueMoir IN GIF FORM NOTHING ACCIDENTAL ABT THAT NECK KISS SON #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/HUEU96y9Kd
— tear-ah (@ladyfriday87) February 11, 2018
Still thinking about the passion between Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir idk if they’re in love but they’re definitely in love pic.twitter.com/HNpmYFOWXN
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) February 12, 2018
VIRTUE AND MOIR ARE IN LOVE AND YOU CANNOT TELL ME OTHERWISE.
Sorry what.
— Todd VanDerWerff (@tvoti) February 12, 2018
Get ready to fall in love again on Feb. 19 and 20
Virtue and Moir will go for Olympic gold again on Feb. 19, competing in the ice dance short dance, and again Feb. 20, in the free dance. These events could very well be Virtue and Moir’s last Olympic performances. While we’re prepared to bury our heads in wads of tissue if they do in fact announce their official Olympic retirement, it looks like the rest of the world isn’t quite ready to give up their dreams of seeing these two talented skaters fall madly in love, adopt two rescue pups, start a lil family and settle into a new routine in a quaint modern-rustic home—hypothetically speaking, of course.
All i am saying is when Tessa and Scott get married we need to treat it like a royal wedding and shut down the country for a day and live stream it on cbc, just saying #Can
— Nicole Murray (@Nicole_Murray4) February 11, 2018
I don’t want to live in a world where Tessa and Scott are not in love, end of story. #VirtueMoir #OlympicGames2018
« Prodigieux. On vient de vivre un très grand moment. »@TessaVirtue et @ScottMoir ont envoûté la foule avec cette performance, selon Alain Goldberg
— Daniella Mason (@DaniellaMason) February 13, 2018
Related:
Too Sexy for the Olympics?! Why a Canadian Ice Dancing Duo Cut This “Risqué” Move
Here’s Why It’s Not OK to Ogle Olympic Lugers’ Bulges
The 10 Most Memorable Moments From Olympics Past