Jonathan Bennett has stepped into countless roles during the course of his acting career, but he just nailed what may be his funniest yet. In a video released on February 19, 2026, the Hallmark fan-favorite pranked his brother-in-law and his wife while disguised as a waiter aboard their Carnival Cruise ship.
Jonathan Bennett Managed to Stay In Character Throughout the Entire Ridiculous Prank
In the video, Bennett revealed he and his husband, singer/songwriter Jaymes Vaughan, snuck onto a Carnival Cruise that Vaughan’s brother and his wife were vacationing on. Bennett was outfitted with a fake nose, mustache, wig, glasses, and dressed just like the rest of the waitstaff in one of the ship’s restaurants.
With hidden cameras capturing every moment, Bennett — using a fake accent — introduced himself as Val from Valdovia to Jason and Yvonne (though he intentionally kept calling them the wrong names).
With Vaughan giving him instructions through an earpiece, Bennett poured water into at least six glasses on their table, spilling and grabbing the napkin on Yvonne’s lap to clean it up. When they received the chocolate martinis they ordered, he asked them how they tasted before the couple could even pick them up off the table. He then delivered his own “favorite drink,” a watermelon martini, and took a sip before placing it on the table for them to try.
The cameras repeatedly captured Jason and Yvonne trying not to laugh, but exchanging looks of bewilderment. At one point, Yvonne adorably asked her husband, “What is happening here?” and he whispered, “I’m not sure!”
As they finished their salads, Vaughan told Bennett to swap their salad plates. He did, and Jason muttered under his breath, “Unbelievable. Unreal, dude!” Then, when he brought their main courses, “Val” hovered over their table to watch them take their first bites.
When the manager came over to check on how things were going, Jason called Val “interesting” and gave him a pass since it was his first night on the job, which led Yvonne to compliment her hubby for not complaining.
When Bennett and Vaughan finally revealed what was going on, the couple couldn’t believe it and Jason exclaimed, “You got us good!”
Jonathan Bennett & Jaymes Vaughan Had Hallmark Channel Stars in Stitches
GettyThe seven-minute video was a huge hit with Bennett’s Hallmark friends, including Tyler Hynes, who lauded Bennett, Vaughan, and filmmaker Alen Kajtezovic for pulling it off. He wrote in the Instagram comment section, “Crying. 💀 50/10. Icons. All of you 👑👑👑”
Bennett and Hynes’ other co-stars from “The Groomsmen,” Heather Hemmens and BJ Britt, also weighed in. Hemmens wrote, “So good! I need the show😍😂” and Britt exclaimed, “You are the KING!!!👑 This is why we LOVE YOU!!😂💚😂”
Rachel Boston, one of Bennett’s longtime Hallmark besties, chimed in, “Val for the win!!! This is hilarious 🤣”
Ezra Moreland, who won Bennett’s first season of “Finding Mr. Christmas,” quipped, “No one is safe out here 😂 that was impressive”
Meanwhile, Vaughan explained why it felt so good to trick his brother, sharing the video in his Instagram Stories and writing beneath it, “Why not use your husband to get back at your big brother for chucking a basketball at your face when you were 8 years old and you still haven’t forgotten about it 😂”
😅🤣😂 This was hilarious. I’m still laughing. Would love to see more hilarious pranks like this one. The world needs more laughter and kindness and less hatred and violence.