Exclusive Interview
‘Finding Mr. Christmas’ Week 2 Stud Dishes on His Elimination After High-Flying Challenge (VIDEO)
What To Know
- In Episode 2 of Season 2, the contestants participated in a challenging high-wire photo shoot where they had to embody Santa’s reindeer.
- Hallmark star Heather Hemmens was a special guest.
- The eliminated contestant spoke with Swooon about how his modeling abilities were put to the test.
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Finding Mr. Christmas Season 2 Episode 2 “Reindeer Games.”]
Another holiday hopeful was brought down to Earth — literally — in this week’s episode, which saw the remaining nine Hallmark hunks-in-training taking to the skies for a high-wire photo shoot.
“It was definitely a little bit of a challenge,” says Week 2’s eliminated looker Drake Kuyper, admitting that his own professional modeling background hadn’t prepared him for what host Jonathan Bennett had cooked up. “I didn’t think about it ever! I’ve never really done anything where I was suspended in the air like that. It was kind of an interesting new way to, I guess, challenge my modeling abilities.”
In the episode’s Star Quality Challenge, Bennett brought in Hallmark pal Heather Hemmens from his The Groomsmen trilogy of movies to hype up the guys, who were tasked with personifying one of Santa’s reindeer while hanging from a crane 15 feet in the air. “It’s not just about modeling,” the swoonworthy Hemmens advised them. “You can’t just have the blank face. You have to tell the story through your eyes…that’s acting.”
“I started realizing, yeah, they definitely stepped it up this season, and [Jonathan’s] going to be challenging us,” notes Kuyper. “He wants us to really get out of our comfort zones and try some new things.”
Of course, the technical details of the shoot weren’t relayed to the men until they had suited up in their reindeer gear…and engaged in possibly the sexiest moment Hallmark has ever aired as some of them stripped down for an impromptu workout to get in a pre-shoot pump. Having been on set before another challenge coming up this season, we can verify that this was not some sort of staged beefcake montage. Since there are so many physical challenges, there are resistance bands, protein powders, and free weights all over the house for the guys to use during production. And according to Kuyper, it was often in-between takes when the Mr. Christmas spirit really took shape.
“I feel like something that everyone missed [onscreen] is just so much of the camaraderie…sometimes we’d just have the best times,” he added. “We’re all laughing and enjoying our time, but the camera’s not rolling. So we’d have this great conversation, and you’re getting to know some of the guys, then all of a sudden [realize] the cameras weren’t rolling. We’re like, ‘Oh dang. That literally would’ve been a perfect clip for it!’ And it’s hard to kind of replicate that again. It was just so in-the-moment, you know what I mean? We were just naturally bonding and having a good time together.”
Unfortunately, the youngest contestant’s good times were cut short last night. But even though his infectious charms and undeniable appeal didn’t translate into his Cupid pics, Kuyper continues to carry with him the essence of his assigned reindeer. “One of the most important parts of being a Hallmark [leading] man is just having a big heart. And I think I have a ton of that. A big, big heart,” he said.
Finding Mr. Christmas, Season 2, Mondays, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel
