Finding Mr. Christmas: Jonathan Bennett on Hallmark’s New Reality Competition | Interviews | GWN

Hallmark Motion pictures Now could be turning into Hallmark+ this occasion with unique untouched motion pictures, fresh order, and extra that includes loved Hallmark stars—or, as Jonathan Bennett shouts them, the Hallmark Cinematic Universe (HCU).

That’s a bundle of thankfully ever then. Bennett performed the good-looking love hobby in Hallmark’s “The Christmas House” and its sequel, “Deck Those Halls,” and stars within the then “Groomsmen” trilogy, with 3 interlinked love tales. He additionally created and hosts the streaming carrier’s truth display, “Finding Mr. Christmas,” a “Bachelor”-style festival, with ten actors striving to superstar in a Hallmark Christmas film.

I really like Hallmark Christmas motion pictures. My favorites come with “Write Before Christmas,” “The Mistletoe Promise,” and extreme pace’s “Groundhog Day”-style Hanukkah film, “Round and Round.”

I all the time say there are two sorts of public on the earth. Nation who keep watch Hallmark motion pictures and liars. Display me the lie! Hallmark is a emblem that makes such a lot of public glad and switch to it. You infrequently have a community change into a part of public’s traditions and synonymous with public’s lives. Like hanging up the tree, having public over for dinner, having a amusement celebration, sledding, the entire stuff you do on the vacations to praise no matter amusement you praise, and looking at Hallmark motion pictures also are a part of public’s amusement traditions.

Why do public love them such a lot?

That’s the million-dollar query. Why do public love Hallmark motion pictures such a lot? Neatly, why do you love them such a lot?

Good-looking public, candy tales, glad endings.

There you move. I believe public love Hallmark motion pictures for 2 causes. One, as a result of you understand how they finish. They’re getting to have a cheerful finishing. And the vacations are a withered year for a bundle of public. The HCU motion pictures have some superior escapism and untruth to show to, and you’ll be able to keep watch nice-looking public fall in love, produce cookies, and feature snowball fights.

on the finish of the film they’re getting to kiss, they usually’re getting to be in love, and that’s simply one thing infrequently we want for every alternative on the vacations. 

Nation additionally love them as a result of Hallmark’s the one community that makes use of the old-school studio gadget. Once I move to Christmas conventions and meet the entire Hallmark fanatics that arise, I’m advised {that a} bundle of households are going thru some emotional turbulence throughout the vacations. I do know some public don’t have crowd, or for no matter reason why, they won’t get to spend a bundle of year with them. So the Hallmark actors (the Hallmark Cinematic Universe, I name it, like our Avengers), those faces are common, and we see them pace then pace. It’s such an honor for me as a Hallmark actor to be a part of public’s selected crowd on the vacations that they flip in and keep watch our motion pictures and get to really feel one thing.

And now there are Hannukah motion pictures!

That’s what Hallmark does so neatly, particularly within the moment few years since we’ve had some wonderful public like Lisa Hamilton Daly accountable for the community.  She made certain that the tales we inform replicate the audiences who keep watch them. The vacations are for everybody, and so there’s all the time a playground at our amusement desk at Hallmark for everybody. Whether or not you’re homosexual, you’re Jewish, no matter it can be, there’s a seat for you at our desk, and we would like you at Hallmark. You belong right here with us, and we need to inform tales that replicate that. I believe Hallmark’s completed an improbable task of increasing the amusement desk and ensuring everybody seems like they’ve had their tale advised. 

What qualities produce a just right Hallmark amusement romantic chief guy?

I believe public love the Hallmark hunks for a handful of causes. Before everything, let’s be fair, they’ve were given to seem just right in a Christmas sweater. They’ve simply were given to seem just right in a good Christmas sweater, and we need to see the biceps in the course of the Christmas sweater. 

And later they’ve were given to govern with middle as a result of I believe middle and vulnerability are what all of our Hallmark Signature stars have. They have got a vulnerability and a middle to them that’s very detectable and uncovered, so you’ll be able to see them as public as opposed to the characters. I believe you spot the individual while you’re looking at a Hallmark film. I believe you spot Tyler Hines be Tyler. I believe you spot Jonathan Bennett be Jonathan Bennett. I believe you spot Wes Brown be Wes Brown. In order that they’re opening up their middle and being susceptible, and later they’ve were given to have allure, aura, and wit. They’ve were given to be humorous. They’ve were given to be fascinating. They need to be charismatic. 

And later the overall factor—each Hallmark hunk has is one thing we will’t provide an explanation for. And I will’t inform you what it’s, however you realize it while you see it. And it’s that X issue, that twinkle, that makes the target market take a seat ahead of their chair once they come on display. That’s the article I will’t provide an explanation for or describe, however all of them have it, and also you realize it while you see it.

How did the truth display come about?

Such a lot of of my actor buddies need to be a part of the Hallmark cinematic universe. They need to be a Hallmark Avenger as a result of Hallmark has change into so ingrained in popular culture and public’s lives. There’s negative playground love it.  And I’m a truth display freak. I adore it. I used to be on “Big Brother,” I used to be on “Dancing with the Stars,” and I’m a plenty “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fan. I really like truth festival presentations, so I assumed, “What if we created a reality competition show to find the next Hallmark Holiday Hunk? What if we made it a competition and let America watch in on the journey of what it takes to get there? How fun would that be to watch for the audience?”

So I stated, “Well, if you want a seat at the table, you ten guys have to fight it out.” And I assumed that will be an funny tv. And in order that’s how “Finding Mr. Christmas” 

What are one of the most demanding situations?

We whisk ten hunks, and we put them in a gigantic Christmas space this is have compatibility for a Hallmark film. In every episode, we put them thru other demanding situations all in line with the Hallmark tropes that we’ve come to like from the films. We put them thru the entire issues our Hallmark stars should do to be a Hallmark superstar. We’ve episodes which might be in line with such things as the meet-cute. We’ve a complete problem in line with wrapping gifts. 

We ship our hunks outdoor into the barren region to cut ill a Christmas tree, deliver it again, and adorn it. We’ve our hunks slicing ill Christmas bushes and hanging them over their shoulders, working thru a drawback direction, and going back on the home to brighten the tree. We’ve the photoshoot problem, the apology scene, and the kiss beneath the mistletoe. 

I’m the host and our govern pass judgement on, however later my major pass judgement on is Melissa Peterman, who has been in “Haul Out the Holly” and the entire alternative Hallmark motion pictures. Melissa Peterman is my proper hand in all this. She’s there to support pass judgement on the fellows and provides them recommendation, however later, in each episode, we actually have a visitor pass judgement on who’s one of the crucial Hallmark chief girls and a couple of of our Hallmark chief males. In each episode, now we have a untouched visitor pass judgement on from the Hallmark Cinematic Universe who we put within the scenes with the hunks.

They support give them recommendation, paintings at the scenes with them, support them with the problem, and provides them guidelines as a result of Hallmark’s all a couple of crowd, proper? 

What comes off in this display such a lot that I wasn’t anticipating once I created it, however what solidified what I’m assured can be a untouched pace of truth tv is as a result of we’re Hallmark, we discovered a approach to do truth festival with middle. That’s what makes Hallmark Plus and Hallmark Fact other from any alternative truth in the market. 

I do know what it’s love to be fake-produced or produced in some way that doesn’t display the reality. Ten strangers walked into this space, competing with every alternative. However we way this thru a Hallmark lens, with love and compassion. We develop a barricade field for our hunks to develop, be susceptible, and be informed. We would like our guys to glow. 

Sharing their tales bonded them immediately into this pretty fraternity of affection. And since that took place, the fellow that will get eradicated each episode wasn’t as disenchanted as the fellows that remained as a result of they nearly felt sinful that their brother used to be retirement.

At Hallmark Fact Tv, it’s true; we’re now not right here to produce buddies. We’re right here to produce a crowd.