Fresh off her 30th Hallmark movie, Alison Sweeney saddled up to spend a day with the eight remaining contestants on season two of “Finding Mr. Christmas.” In the episode that premiered on November 10, 2025, the “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” star appeared alongside host Jonathan Bennett and lead judge Melissa Peterman to judge the handsome group of guys vying to become Hallmark’s next leading man.
The guys not only got to see firsthand what’s made Sweeney such a successful actress since she was a teen, but also swooned over her beauty and expertise with the horses. Contestant Angel Garet, who was born in Venezuela, even gushed on Instagram that she “speaks perfect Spanish!”
Spoiler Alert: If you don’t want to know yet what happened and who went home in week 3 of “Finding Mr. Christmas,” please stop reading here.
Alison Sweeney Comes From a Family of Equestrians
Bennett and Peterman knew exactly who to call for the “Cowboy Christmas” challenge in week three, during which the “Finding Mr. Christmas” contestants would have to memorize lines for a scene they would each film with Sweeney while riding on horseback.
Sweeney comes from a family of equestrians and even graced the July/August cover of Horse Illustrated magazine. So she was a natural for this challenge, and tried to put the contestants who were most nervous at ease.
She talked through the scene with Robbie Simpson, who earned extra time with her by winning the Festive Face-Off challenge earlier in the day, thanks to the intricate and meaningful gingerbread house he built.
Simpson went first in the Star Quality Challenge and felt like he nailed his audition with Sweeney, though he admitted his horse — which producers cleverly called the “mane actor” — had a “mind of its own.” That was also the case for Marcus Brodie, who managed to get on the horse “flawlessly” despite never having been on one, noted Peterman, who was watching each audition on a monitor with Bennett and making hilarious side comments.
“When he leaned in,” Bennett began to say about Brodie’s banter with Sweeney, Peterman made Bennett laugh by interjecting, “I’m like, ‘Put a saddle on me!'”
Alison Sweeney Encouraged Contestant Davey Fischer, Who Was ‘Scared’ About Riding a Horse
HallmarkContestant Davey Fischer was particularly worried about working with a horse, telling producers that his mom and grandma had broken bones by being bucked off horses in the past.
“I’m definitely having a hard time calming my nerves,” he said, but after Sweeney assured him he could do it, he handled the situation like a pro, impressing Bennett and Peterman as they watched him overcome his fear.
“I’d like to think that my grandma and mom would be proud of the fact that I got up on that horse,” Fischer said afterwards, clearly relieved. “And the acting wasn’t too shabby.”
Gabe Thaxton, who happened to be roommates with Fischer years ago, also didn’t have horse-riding experience, but seemed more nervous about working with Sweeney than the horse. He told his fellow housemates, “I was stressing a tiny bit. She’s intimidating to me a little bit, cause she’s so beautiful and such a good actress, you know?”
‘Finding Mr. Christmas’ Contestants Faced Unexpected Bumps in the Road as They Acted With Alison Sweeney
Logan Shephard had the toughest time remembering his lines when his horse began to back up unexpectedly. Rather than giving Sweeney’s character a “refresher” on how to get on the horse, he stayed silent while he tried to get the horse to cooperate.
“He’s not saying anything,” Bennett said as he and Peterman watched the monitor. “He missed a lot of the lines.”
Next up, Garet had a similar issue with his horse, but he sweetly talked to the animal, petting her head and “doing such a good job of filling the space with dialogue,” Bennett noted.
“He stayed in it when his horse was uncooperative and he was amazing,” Peterman agreed.
Rustin Cole Sailors, meanwhile, made the scene flirtatious and natural, even when his hat flew off his head while he climbed atop his horse, asking Sweeney if she’d mind grabbing it for him and calling her “hon.”
“He’s so natural up there,” Bennett said. “Your only job is to charm, charm, charm, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.”
When Sailors he smoothly delivered the final line of the scene — “When I see something I like, I don’t rest ’til I get it” — Peterman hilariously looked right down the barrel of the camera like she was going to faint. But when they met up with Sweeney afterward for her take, she revealed that she actually didn’t love the way he asked for his hat — but gave him high marks for everything else.
Who Went ‘Home for the Holidays’ on Week 3 of ‘Finding Mr. Christmas?’
HallmarkIn the end, of course, someone had to go “home for the holidays,” as Bennett always announces at the end of each episode. During the elimination ceremony, Sweeney told the group of aspiring actors how well they did and offered some pointers for the future.
“The key in all of this is if you are natural and comfortable with what you’re doing, the audience feels that, and they love it and they want to feel comfortable watching you,” Sweeney told them. “They don’t want to be nervous.”
Peterman agreed, adding that with a strong leading man, “The audience can sit back and relax because they know they’re in good hands.”
Several men seemed like shoe-ins to win the week’s Star Quality Challenge, but Bennett said they chose Brodie as the champ of the challenge because he set his nerves aside and nailed the scene. Meanwhile, Thaxton and Shephard were in the bottom two — and Sweeney had a pained look on her face as Bennett called them forward.
Bennett told Thaxton that he often looked like he was thinking about his next line rather than connecting with Sweeney, and Shephard missed the mark due to the awkward silence and missed lines while struggling with his horse. Shephard was sent packing, leaving seven men to contend for the “Finding Mr. Christmas” title again next Monday. To watch the episodes that have already aired, you can catch up on Hallmark+.
