Jonathan Bennett Talks Hallmark’s New Hunk-Search Competition, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’

With a new Hallmark+ streaming service set to launch in September, the feel-good media company is breaking into reality TV and flipping its rom-com script with a new trilogy that offers the male perspective on love and friendship. After Hallmark presented its fall and Christmas slate at the Television Critics Association press tour on Thursday, FIRST for Women sat down with Mean Girls alum Jonathan Bennett to get the story on his Hallmark competition series, Finding Mr. Christmas , and his upcoming movie trilogy with Tyler Hynes and B.J. Britt, The Groomsmen . And we have the trailer!

Here, Bennett teases The Groomsmen by comparing it to Hallmark’s The Wedding Veil trilogy… and a very different blockbuster movie.

Plus, with help from Reba alum and Finding Mr. Christmas judge Melissa Peterman, the Big Brother and Dancing with the Stars alum previews what to expect from his new reality show .

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Hallmark’s Jonathan Bennett shares everything you need to know about Finding Mr. Christmas

Hallmark fans who were sad to hear fan favorite Ryan Paevey was taking a step back from acting will be thrilled to hear a slate of hunks is about to compete to become the next “Mr. Christmas” – and viewers get to watch!

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“We take 10 hot guys, we put them in a house, and our goal is to find the next Hallmark Channel star,” sets up Bennett. “It’s like RuPaul’s Drag Race meets The Bachelor meets Christmas . Each week, one guy will get eliminated.”

To avoid being sent home for the holidays, contestants must deliver on two fronts – personality and “Star Quality.”

“They're put through fun, over-the-top mini-challenges that test their holiday spirit – whether it's wrapping gifts or making an ugly Christmas sweater,” Bennett says. “And then the second challenge is called their Star Quality Challenge. It tests how they perform each of the tropes of a Hallmark movie that our fans have come to know and love – like the meet-cute, the apology and the kiss.”

Finding Mr. Christmas judge Melissa Peterman reveals Hallmark stars get into the competition

With lead judge Melissa Peterman on hand for the full competition, a string of Hallmark beauties and hunks will pop in to help her out – and some fan favorites even get in on the competition.

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“The trope challenges are usually a scene, and sometimes they get to shoot with well-known Hallmark stars,” teases Peterman. “We have actors and actresses coming in, and sometimes they come in to direct, as well.

“I really loved that part, because these guys are Hallmark fans who want to be leading men,” she adds. “They are getting the chance to work with established Hallmark stars, ask them questions, and be mentored. That’s huge.”

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As Finding Mr. Christmas builds to a final screen test, the wannabes are given an inside look at what it truly takes to be a Hallmark star – and so are viewers.

“You don't just have to be good-looking,” Bennett insists. “You have to be funny and charming and kind and talented and be a good person and have a big heart – all the things everyone's come to know and love about our stars. That's what we're judging.”

Jonathan Bennett promises the competition on Finding Mr. Christmas won’t get dirty

While there’s a giant prize on the table, this is Hallmark – which means there’s no dirty tricks or backstabbing among these players.

“We were able to create a show that has a competition element, but is led with heart and is so supportive,” Bennett says. “Ten guys walked into this house as competitors and strangers, and they left a family. They grew as humans and as performers. And they still have a group chat! They formed this brotherhood that is forever.”

He adds that the comradery surprised him.

“We knew it was going to be funny,” Bennett says. “We knew they were going to be hot! But what we didn't count on was the amount of heart and vulnerability these men brought to the show. Guys from all walks of life showed up to this house and had the courage and the bravery to talk about things that scared them. I think the audience is really going to fall in love with them.”

Hallmark hunk Jonathan Bennett teases The Groomsmen trilogy

Even as he’s helped bring his reality show dream to life, Bennett has also been a driving force behind a new trilogy of movies that shakes up the Hallmark paradigm by flipping the beloved The Wedding Veil trilogy on its head. Three besties fall in and out of love and find happily ever after, but this time, it’s about the men!

“It's The Hangover meets The Wedding Veil ,” teases Bennett. “It’s the story of male friendship told from the men's perspective, and it’s that group of friends, that squad, that everyone wants to be part of. It's going to give a lot of our male viewers something to identify with.

“It's also going to give our female viewers a peek into the bachelor party and what goes on in guys’ weekends,” he adds. “All the women wish we were on a fly on the wall to see that. This is an insight into that world.”

It’s also three trips across the world. With the guys set to celebrate their weddings in Greece, Italy and Bulgaria, The Groomsmen First Look, The Groomsmen Second Chances and The Groomsmen Last Dance were shot on location and promise to be gorgeous!

Jonathan Bennett talks about flipping tropes with The Groomsmen

The three friends at the center of the trilogy are kind-hearted pediatrician Pete, played by Britt; stylish social media agent Jackson, played by Hynes; and Bennett’s character Danny, who is both gay and the alpha of the group.

“It was very important to me to go against every stereotype you see in a gay character in television,” shares Bennett. “Danny's not going to be the fashion designer. Danny's not going to be the baker. Danny's the Philadelphia Phillies pitching coach and the wild party boy of the group. And Tyler’s character is actually the beta of the group. To turn all the stereotypes on their head was such a powerful thing to do.

“There's no network like this – where you feel this supported and loved as not only an artist and an actor, but as an LGBTQ+ person,” adds Hallmark’s first gay Christmas hunk. “You feel so supported, so loved and so safe at Hallmark. They basically have given us a big sandbox where we get to play – and to have support from the Phillies and the MLB was also huge.”

How to watch Finding Mr. Christmas and The Groomsmen

With Hallmark’s unscripted series Finding Mr. Christmas and the first installment of The Groomsmen trilogy set to land this fall, Jonathan Bennett is living his dream – and the new “Mr. Christmas” may already be shooting his very first movie, which will air as part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas.

“He’s out there, walking around,” Jonathan Bennett tells FIRST . “That’s all I can say!”

Finding Mr. Christmas and The Groomsmen trilogy are set to premiere on Hallmark+, which will replace Hallmark Movies Now in mid-September. Starting at $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, the membership includes exclusive benefits and rewards, including monthly $5 Hallmark Gold Crown Store coupons, free unlimited eCards, rewards for shopping and surprise gifts.

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