When someone asks you if you want to spend a couple of days with ten Hallmark hunks, you say yes and ask questions later.
And that’s exactly how I found myself on a plane flying to Park City, Utah, last May. I could have been walking right into a trap, cleverly designed by someone who knows I like hot people, and it would have worked. But really, I was going to visit the set of Finding Mr. Christmas, a new reality show in which 10 very nice looking men compete to star in a holiday Hallmark film — you know the kind — and this year there will be a staggering 47-movie line-up.
It’s notable because it’s Hallmark’s first-ever reality television show, on their newly launched Hallmark+ platform.
It’s also notable because of the sheer number of hunks involved.
I admit that although I am a professional journalist who was simply assigned to write a story about a new and fun unscripted reality show, I did note that it would be very Hallmark if I, a divorced middle-aged single mom, interviewed one of the contestants, fell for him instantly, and then we spent the rest of the weekend navigating miscommunications about our feelings until an eventual happy ending, probably kissing under the mistletoe. Best work trip ever!
So it was with great anticipation and a few nerves that I arrived on set. Picture this: a sweeping Western landscape of fields, mountains, and an enormous sky. And on one of those fields, a large, picturesque house, covered with Christmas lights and decorations, every inch of the property sprayed with delightful fake snow.
It was beautiful. A Christmas island in the middle of nowhere, in early spring.
I arrived on the last day of filming, and everyone on the cast and crew was equally excited to see which hunk would come out on top. I was whisked into the basement of the amazing holiday house, where the rooms were cluttered with production people and equipment — while the top two floors of the home served as the set and the living quarters of the possible Mr. Christmases. Down in the basement, though, I was surrounded by an exciting mix of wires, monitors, skilled people, and several more dogs than I was expecting.
Now there are hunks and miniature labrodoodles on set? A true Christmas miracle.
At least one and perhaps two of the dogs belonged to Jonathan Bennett, the creator, producer, and host of the show — or, as you might know him, an original hunk of the early aughts best known (by me) as Aaron in Mean Girls. He was joined by his husband, Jaymes Vaughan (reader, I am happy to report he is also a hunk), and the whole adorable group of hot people and dogs ran around the basement saying hellos, giving directions, and completing tasks.
“Do the dogs fetch?” I asked, quoting the iconic line, but thankfully no one heard me.
Bennett and judge Melissa Peterman (from Reba, of course) slowed down and stopped mid-wardrobe-change to meet the assembled press, of which I was a part, and they were both incredibly kind, attentive, funny, and down-to-earth. And everyone was so excited about how the show was shaping up.
Then I was brought through a maze of hallways back upstairs, were I could watch the filming that was taking place in the very jolly front yard.
At this point, most of the season had already taken place. Ten men had been vying to outdo the others via a series of fun and cute competitions, from holiday obstacle courses to festive puppy photoshoots. The hunks had laughed and cried together, and now it was down to a few final hot guys.
And as I rounded the house and saw the hunks for the first time, I had a sudden realization: they were all really, really young — at least for me! They all looked to be in their late 20s to early 30s, and while I could appreciate their attractiveness, I was pretty sure they all failed my only dating requirement: Do you remember 9/11?
It was good that they were so young, though, I realized. I could now stop wondering if my life was about to turn into a Hallmark movie and start simply appreciating them from afar, beautiful but untouchable, like yachts or the moon.
One by one, I watched the remaining contestants go through a challenge; this one was an acting challenge with Hallmark heavy hitter Nikki Deloach. And it was so fun to watch each one film their “Hallmark scene” with Johnathan and Melissa looking on, too.
I literally could not pick a favorite. They all seemed super nice and super talented — and super sincere. Choosing one to root for would be like trying to choose the best kitten out of a litter of kittens. I’ll take ‘em all!
First of all, yes, there is a firefighter: Isaac, 29. There’s also an aerospace engineer, David, 29, and a Navy rescue diver, Ezra, 31. There are also several aspiring actors, of course, who have had a Hallmark role on their dream board for a long time. There’s also a marketing consultant (Gage, 29); I feel like there’s always a marketing consultant.
After each man was done filming, he returned to the house, where he talked with the other men in the show. And that’s where the next surprise came in: I was shocked by how nice everyone was to each other, even though they were competing. I had never seen so many hunks in one room, but I had also never seen so much emotion, support, and hugging. The Mr. Christmases interacting with each other were a study in healthy, evolved male friendships.
In fact, it was pretty much the opposite of every other unscripted reality television show I’d ever seen. They “weren’t here to make friends” — it seemed like they were her to make best friends.
Later that night, when I sat down with Bennett to unpack the finale and the other events of the very long day, he shared the same observation.
“It’s such an emotional show because you get to watch and be a part of these guys growing and healing and going through all these things they didn’t expect the room to go through,” he said. “Our show isn’t about backstabbing and hurting each other, our show is about lifting each other up and helping each other, even though it’s a competition, which is a very rare thing.”
It’s not a surprise that a show developed by Bennett, who has experience both as a Hallmark leading man (The Christmas House, The Holiday Sitter) and a reality TV star (Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing With the Stars), developed a show that captures the heart and culture of Hallmark while capturing the fun and liveliness of reality television. Still, the outcome was even more than Bennett had been hoping for.
“What surprised me the most about doing the show is just how supportive the guys were to each other,” he continued. “And it makes you so emotional because it feels like there’s hope in the world. It just gives you hope to watch these guys who are grown men have the courage and the bravery to tell their real stories to each other and to open up and be vulnerable, which you don’t see a lot. It’s so inspiring.”
By the time all of the interviews were over, it was well past midnight and I was finally heading back to the hotel. When I walked out into the dark, surrounded by about a billion sparkling Christmas lights, I realized that it was snowing. Like, for real snowing. In May. Not a lot, but enough to feel the magic.
I know who is crowned Mr. Christmas, and while I cannot contractually tell you who it is, I can tell you that he is a worthy hunk. I can also tell you that they are all worthy hunks. But even though I know the outcome of the show, I’ll be watching this week when it debuts. Because this reality show isn’t really much about the competition. It’s about brotherly friendship, loving one another, and becoming better people with each other’s help. With a lot of tinsel and oversized ornaments involved.
And when someone asks you to watch a show about wholesome masculinity and holiday joy, you say yes and ask questions later. Whether they’re hunks or not.
Finding Mr. Christmas premieres on Thursday, October 31 on the Hallmark Channel.
