Search for Next Hallmark Channel Hunk Underway: What Casting Agents Are Looking For

The search is on for a new batch of kind-hearted hunks to compete in season 2 of “Finding Mr. Christmas,” the hit reality competition hosted and co-created by longtime Hallmark Channel star Jonathan Bennett.

Critics and fans fell in love with the 10 men who competed in the original Hallmark+ series over the 2024 holiday season, as well as Bennett and his co-host, actress Melissa Peterman. So much so that Hallmark Media announced on December 23 that it had greenlit a second season.

With filming set to begin in April 2025, production company Super Delicious, which produces non-fiction series including Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” and the CW’s “Farmer Wants a Wife,” has begun looking for a new group of men eager to compete for “a featured role in a Hallmark movie,” per casting call materials.

Note: This story contains spoilers about the results of season 1 of “Finding Mr. Christmas”

‘Finding Mr. Christmas’ Producers Want Actors Ages 25-42 Who Fit the Bill of a Hallmark Channel Hunk

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Finding the next Hallmark hunk is no small task. According to the casting call for season 2 of “Finding Mr. Christmas,” the production team is looking for aspiring actors, ages 25-42 with “charming good looks and a twinkle in your eye.”

A lengthy application asks potential contestants about their backgrounds, families, acting experience, social media profiles, and in-depth questions about their lives, from asking to write about an obstacle they’ve overcome in their lives to how they think their friends would describe them. Applicants are also asked to upload a headshot, full body photo and a video introducing themselves.

Given the show’s theme, the application also asks applicants to share a favorite holiday memory and explain how they typically celebrate the holidays.

“The things we’re looking for are the things that the characteristics that all of our Hallmark stars have,” Bennett told Pop Culture Planet in November. “All of our leading men have charisma, they have a sense of humor, they have a sense of wit. They have charm coming out of their ears. They’re nice, they’re kind, they’re good people.”

He continued, “They have a huge heart and, at the end of the day, they look amazing in Christmas sweaters. They have great teeth and perfect hair and look good in a Christmas sweater. Those were the things we were looking for as our baseline, but then all of these guys brought so much more than we could have ever hoped for.”

‘Finding Mr. Christmas’ Season 1 Winner Says Competition Required ‘Emotional Availability’

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The first season’s winner — model Ezra Moreland — won over the judges, including a different Hallmark star who guest judged each episode, from Nikki DeLoach to Tyler Hynes. As his prize, he got to co-star with Jessica Lowndes in Hallmark Channel’s last Christmas movie of 2024, “Happy Howlidays.”

During the competition, Moreland realized it wasn’t just about having chiseled abs or a winning smile. In one challenge, the men had to get emotional in a test scene with longtime Hallmark star Rachel Boston, which was not an easy take, he told Us Weekly.

“That (challenge) was the scariest because we realized, ‘Oh we’re going to be judged on emotional availability,’ and that was freaky and stressful at first,” he told the outlet. “But looking back, that’s one of my favorite (moments) because it was the biggest roller coaster, and kind of nerve-wracking.”

After winning the first season, Moreland began two months of acting lessons, he told Entertainment Weekly, and spent time getting to know Lowndes before they began filming in September.

Hallmark hasn’t released further details about the second season of “Finding Mr. Christmas,” but the eligibility requirements for applicants state that contestants must be available to film in April and May 2025, and be able to travel to various locations as part of the production.