Are Tessa And Scott A Couple? An Investigation Into The Question We All Want Answered

If you've been watching the Olympics, you probably have an opinion on whether or not Canadian skaters Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue are getting it on off the ice. The gold medallists have set the Internet — and our collective loins — on fire. And while the duo maintains that they’re not an item, we’re not so sure.

Here, an in-depth investigation to determine whether everyone’s favourite dirty (ice) dancers might be doing it on the down low. And, if so, why they may be motivated to keep their love under cover.

Exhibit A: They had to sex-down their routines for Pyeongchang

Fans who watched them skate their long program in the team competition may have noticed that a key lift was a little less raunchy than usual (though still incredibly sexy, it should be noted). That’s because Scott and Tessa decided to pour a little cold water on their infamous move, by limiting the seconds that she spends with her legs wrapped around his neck. Go ahead, take a look.

Tessa told the press that the decision to alter the lift was artistic “aesthetic.” But what was she supposed to say: “We worried the judges in South Korea would be put off by a move that wouldn’t be out of place in a porno”?

So here’s the question: When is the last time you had to tone down your interaction with a platonic pal? It’s true, pairs skating is hot-and-heavy to begin with — as is any endeavor that involves regular interpersonal groin contact. Still, Scott and Tessa’s routines have a way of taking it to the next level. (They may have altered that one lift, but people have gotten pregnant off of less than the Hotel California section in their short program.)

Does this mean they’re doing it? What it means is that their vibe is five-fire-emojis, parental-guidance-required, somebody-dump-an-ice-bucket-over-my-head sexy. And that’s not so easy to simulate.

Exhibit B: Everybody loves a love story (including the judges)

Remember when Brangelina spent over a year denying they were an item?  And remember how that made us totally not interested in them? Ha!

Point is that Tessa and Scott are not a couple of newbies to the fame game. They have starred in their own reality show, for Orser’s sake, and understand concepts like publicity and personal branding almost as well as they understand spinning in unison. Excellence in your sport is obviously important, but if you look at the athletes who have gone on to score lucrative endorsement deals, it’s clear that popularity matters as much as performance. In other words, these two know what we want, and they’re giving it to us, right down to the titillating romantic denials.

Tessa has basically admitted that turning us on is part of their job: “It comes with the territory and that's part of the storytelling we do on the ice. If that's the byproduct of having a great longstanding partnership, then we can deal with it.”

And it’s not just the public that gets off on their off-the-charts chemistry. Watch Tessa and Scott skate in competition and you’ll hear commentators talk about their connection, the way they “move” together, the emotional impact of their eye contact… Is it getting hot in here? Without diving too deep into the ins and outs of figure skating judging — things like connection and vibe contribute to overall artistry, which can contribute to the overall score.

Does that mean they’re doing it? No. It means they know that we want them to be, and are using that to their advantage. (And possibly still doing it.)

Exhibit C: They did date once

While Tessa and Scott both deny a recent romantic relationship, turns out they were an item for a matter of months back when he was nine and she was seven. This according to their longtime (but not current) coach Paul MacIntosh, who shared his memories with the Canadian Press: “I think Scotty broke it off. And he would say that's 19 or 20 years of regret." Interesting.

Does this mean they’re doing it? No, but it does provide an excuse to link to this adorable photo of Scott and Tessa in their “romantic period.”

Exhibit D: Neither one is attached to anyone else

They’re not together, but neither Scott nor Tessa appears to be in another relationship at the moment. In this interview from a few years ago, Scott admitted that being with a woman who isn’t his skating wife is “tough,” while Tessa has said that she would make a terrible girlfriend because of her commitment to her … “sport.” She has also described her relationship with Scott as “complicated.” Certainly sounds that way.

Does this mean they’re doing it? The word complicated implies at least a little sexual tension, right? Like, “It can be complicated when we both want to run back to our change room and rip each other’s sparkly costumes off, but instead we have to wait for the scores.”

Exhibit E: Bedtime stories

If there is a smoking gun in this are-they-or-aren’t-they drama, you can find it in the light-hearted interview below, where Scott and Tessa play a version of the Newlywed Game. When asked which one is more likely to sleep in, Tessa says she is, and Scott says it used to be her, but now it’s him. And then things get interesting. She says something about how she is not a great sleeper and then Scott mumbles, “If you can sleep — you’re so restless.”

Call us old fashioned, but we’re pretty sure Olympic athletes who are not romantically involved get their own bedrooms. And look at the way she looks at him after he makes the comment. If we were going to put words to that glance, they would be, “I can’t believe you just told the whole world we are sleeping together. This is terrible, and I would be furious if I weren’t so turned on.”

But why would they hide their love? Here are a couple of theories. It’s possible the are-they-or-aren’t-they thing is good for business. How many TV shows have tanked after the couple finally gets together? Just as possible: Tessa and Scott know that there is nothing quite as hot as a secret love affair. OK, maybe there is one thing. But you get the point.

Does this mean they’re doing it? Ding, ding, ding.