The first season of “Finding Mr. Christmas” aired on the Hallmark Channel during October of 2024. The show centers around a cast of ten men, competing in challenges to win the chance to star as a leading man in a Hallmark Christmas movie.
Every episode features a Festive Face-Off in which the contestants compete in a non-acting related challenge to win an advantage in the Star Quality challenge that happens later in the episode. Some of my favorite Festive Face-Offs included decorating an ugly Christmas sweater, holiday trivia, and an obstacle course that involved chopping down a Christmas tree. Every week, another man goes home.
The show isn’t especially great, actors or otherwise — but if you’re watching it, you’re watching it for the good energy and holiday cheer. Hallmark superfans are also regularly brought in, which is sweet to watch, and if you’re a fan watching from home you’ll be familiar with a lot of the guest actresses and directors that they bring in for Star Quality challenges.
However, acting skills aren’t the only thing that the show tests — they had hidden challenges within the Star Quality challenges to test whether contestants have a ‘Hallmark Heart.’ They need to be kind and considerate, and keep up the friendly family image that Hallmark prides itself on. They also tested contestants on ability to pose for pictures, improvise, work with partners, and more.
I really enjoyed the variety of characters on the show, including a few that I was definitely hoping would lose. I also thought the variety of different backgrounds that people had was interesting– everything from touring for “Hamilton” (Elijah) to having never tried acting before the show. The final three ended up being a solid group from all different backgrounds.
The bond that all of the contestants had was very special. At a certain point, they had the option to bring a previously eliminated contestant back home for the holidays, and they opted to stay for another week rather than let their friend go home.
I watched this with my mom, and it was definitely the best wind-down for the night I could have asked for. It’s calm and easy to watch, and perfect for the holiday season — no drama, just good holiday vibes. It’s the perfect reality TV show to sit down and watch with a mug of hot cocoa and a cozy blanket, and when you’re finished the movie starring the winner is included as an episode at the end of the show. Season one’s winner was in Happy Howlidays, which is (as is suggested by the title) a meet cute involving the main character’s new dog meeting her archnemesis’s dog. They are forced to keep meeting up for puppy playdates, and eventually they discover that maybe they don’t hate each other, after all.
If you’re in the holiday spirit, looking to watch something new– I would definitely recommend this one. Even if it’s not great TV, it’s entertaining and wholesome, and definitely worth a try.
