Finding Mr. Christmas Season 2, Episode 6: Los Cinco Finalistas
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Finding Mr. Christmas Season 2, Episode 6 including who was eliminated.
Previously on Finding Mr. Christmas: Six guys stood tall, Craig channeled his inner phoenix, Robbie got shipped home like an overnight return to Balsam Hill, and now… FIVE remain.
Listen to Girls Gone Hallmark’s Recap of Finding Mr. Christmas Season 2, Episode 6
Welcome to the Fab Five Era
We open with the guys lounging outside, basking in that Final Five energy like they’re in the most emotionally open frat house ever assembled. Rustin is thrilled to be thriving – telling us, he’s finally surrounded by men who, you know… feel things. Angel jumps in with a whole “soccer benchwarmer finally getting play time” metaphor, and Marcus just straight-up brands them “The Fab Five,” because of course he does.
Then the Festive Face-Off bells ring – Jonathan Bennett has entered the chat – and suddenly these fully grown adults are sprinting indoors like kids chasing an ice cream truck.
JB lays out the challenge: Silent Night, but make it an obstacle course. Deliver presents. Make zero noise. Every tiny clatter means minus one point. Simple. Chaotic. Senseless.
And I’d like to pause right here to revisit the question we had last week: WHAT IS THE LESSON HERE? At this point, it honestly feels like the Festive Face-Off game designers are just vibing, making whatever sounds fun in the group chat.
Festive Face-Off: Finding Mr. Christmas Meets Jackass
Angel goes first and immediately wipes out a laundry basket full of balls. JB is standing in the corner with a card taped over his mouth, giving big “kidnapped drama teacher” energy, and Angel proceeds to stomp on bubble wrap like the quiet portion of the challenge personally offended him. But afterward, he opens up to the guys in that earnest, Hallmark Leading Man way that makes you forgive every decibel he produced.
Then there’s Davey, who says his wife calls him a “bull in a china shop” and instantly proves the thesis. Every obstacle seems to shock him like he’s being lightly tased by Christmas. Melissa and JB are losing it. I’m losing it. You’re losing it. It’s chaos, but charming chaos.
Rustin bounds in, still floating on his “life is beautiful” cloud, immediately knocks over some random prop, and then – without warning – drops into a full Mission Impossible crawl. And not a casual crouch. No. This man is slithering across the floor like he’s dodging invisible laser beams that, if tripped, would detonate the entire North Pole. He is the first contestant to attempt this technique, the pioneer of festive stealth, the Tom Cruise of Christmas chaos. Did it earn him points? Unclear. Did it earn our respect? A resounding, gingerbread-crumb-covered yes.
Craig shows up already narrating his own struggle: his pants are too tight. (Narrator: They were absolutely too tight.) He hasn’t even entered the official obstacle zone yet – he’s still in the Balsam Hill House™ living room – and he’s already knocking over decor like a man rebelling against holiday staging. By the time he actually approaches the challenge, he’s giggling, grunting, whispering “tight pants, tight pants” like a man in battle with both Christmas and his inseam. It’s pure America’s Sweetheart energy.
And then Marcus. The only man who sidesteps the ball-basket apocalypse like he’s been training for this. He glides through the course and then makes a decision so diabolical, so chaotic, it deserves its own Festive Face-Off cautionary tale. He launches himself off a table directly in front of the Christmas tree – no hesitation, no second thoughts, and most notably, no knee bend. The man lands like a vertical plank. A Christmas-themed exclamation point. It’s unhinged, it’s inspired, it’s the Silent Night move none of us saw coming and all of us will be talking about for the rest of the season.
Marcus wins it by a single point over Angel, and Jonathan Bennett beams at them like a proud camp counselor sending his boys off to the Star Quality Challenge.
Star Quality Challenge
Before this week’s SQC even begins, we get this wonderfully absurd little tableau: Davey, Marcus, and Rustin sitting around playing chess like three philosophers in a Hallmark lodge. Davey starts talking about being a new dad, and Marcus – sweet, earnest Marcus – asks if it’s getting easier.
Narrator voice: Well… sure. Davey’s been away filming a reality show and not doing 2 a.m. feedings. It’s gotten easier.
And yes, I’ve seen the “should he even be here?” comments – the idea that he shouldn’t chase his dreams because there’s a newborn at home. That’s silly. He clearly has a supportive partner, so let’s all relax.
Finding Mr. Christmas with Ashley Williams
SQC time arrives, and the men meet JB and Melissa at “Kringle Creek” where they will try to create onscreen chemistry with a Hallmark scene partner. And then Ashley Williams glides in, radiating sunshine and enthusiasm. Truly, protect this woman at all costs.
Marcus gets to choose the order thanks to his earlier win, and he approaches the decision with the careful strategy of a toddler picking dodgeball teams purely based on vibes. The final lineup ends up: Angel, Marcus, Craig, Davey, Rustin.
Angel goes in wanting a real emotional connection, so he asks Ashley about her mother… and suddenly I’m emotional because I am an Ashley Williams superfan that knows her mother has passed. They bond over losing parents, and by the time the scene starts – with the gentle hair brushing, the soft eye contact, the whole vibe – I’m sold. Ashley mentions a chin quiver I didn’t even catch, but if she says it happened, I believe her.
Marcus steps up and immediately unleashes the jitter shake – the same chaotic move Angel debuted during the Finding Mr. Talent Show – and this technique continues to live rent-free in my brain. He flubs a line, flashes that smile that does something primal to me, and for a split second I think it might redeem the moment…but then the slightly stiff acting kicks back in. I’m caught between secondhand embarrassment and undeniable charm, and it is a wild place to live.
Craig walks in with pure flirt – hand on his face, eyes doing that soft “I’m genuinely in awe of the woman across from me” stare. He’s giving full leading man energy, confidently ad-libbing like he’s been preparing for this chemistry test his whole life. Then a wasp dive-bombs Ashley’s ear, and the two of them improv through it with rom-com-level grace. Craig walks away glowing. Honestly? I’m gagged. I have officially taken notice.
Davey comes in with a whole plan, and Ashley is instantly on board. But then – oh no – it all unravels. He cannot stop popping grapes into his mouth mid-scene like he’s carbo-loading. The man is acting and snacking simultaneously, making these bizarre little mouth movements that have JB and Melissa convinced he’s fishing grape skins out of his molars. Watching it is like witnessing a very slow, very polite car crash. I hate it…and I cannot look away. When the scene is over, Ashley calls him handsome – which feels less like feedback and more like a universally accepted truth stamped onto his birth certificate.
We cut to a brief Balsam Hill House™ interlude – ornaments, bows, a garland that probably costs more than my car. Respect the sponsor. The Balsam Hill House™ shows up every 13 minutes because the grind never stops – not even for garland.
Then Rustin takes the stage and pulls out an actual actor move: deep eye contact and this slightly unsettling, theater-major breathing. But it works. He nails the scene. The eyebrow raise? Spicy. The molasses line? Delicious. Rustin has been slow-cooked in charisma and we are absolutely going back for seconds.
Elimination Cave: He Knows Its Coming
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Finding Mr. Christmas Season 2, Episode 6 including who was eliminated.
The Fab Five gather in the elimination cave, the air heavy with that familiar mix of nerves and twinkle lights. JB lays it out, and suddenly it’s clear: Craig has done it again. Back-to-back Star Quality Challenge wins. He looks genuinely stunned while JB calls him flirty and funny, and Melissa straight-up says she sees a leading man. Craig is living his best Hallmark arc.
That leaves Marcus and Davey in the bottom – Marcus for that slightly unnatural, stop-and-start acting, and Davey for the grape chaos and a monologue that sounded great in theory but…didn’t quite land in practice. And Davey knows. You can see it settle over him before JB even says the words.
JB sends him home, and Davey pulls everyone into those gentle-giant biceps for one last hug before delivering an unexpectedly heartfelt little speech about learning more from losses than wins.
And just like that, he steps out of the Balsam Hill House™ and straight back into the land of burp cloths and 2 a.m. wake-ups. Godspeed, king.
We hate seeing anyone go, we love this ridiculous, wonderful show, and we’ll absolutely be back next week feeling all the feelings right alongside you.
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