Hallmark’s first-ever Finding Mr. Christmas contest has come to an end, and Us Weekly caught up with the lucky winner.
Warning: Spoilers below for the season 1 finale of Finding Mr. Christmas.
Hosted by Hallmark darling Jonathan Bennett and Melissa Peterman, the series premiered in October and followed 10 men as they competed in various festive challenges to showcase their acting skills and holiday spirit. One contestant was sent home each week until three — Ezra Moreland, Hayden Maher and Elijah Malcomb — remained for the finale.
In the end it was Moreland, 31, who took home the prize. While he entered the competition struggling to find his place, Moreland eventually impressed the judges with his vulnerability and open heart. His first shining moment came after an acting challenge opposite Rachel Boston, where a breakup scene by a campfire demanded the men get in touch with their emotions.
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“That [challenge] was the scariest because we realized, ‘Oh we’re going to be judged on emotional availability,’ and that was freaky and stressful at first,” Moreland exclusively shared with Us Weekly. “But looking back, that’s one of my favorite [moments] because it was the biggest roller-coaster, and kind of nerve wracking.”
Moreland noted that the challenge ultimately helped him “break down some layers” of himself that he didn’t “even know were there.” It was the moments after the challenge, however, where viewers got a candid look into Moreland’s personality; the model found himself breaking down in tears over the death of his late sister.
“That was a really proud moment. I’ll be honest, because I had one goal: to just be my total self and have a positive effect on anybody watching,” Moreland explained. “In the first couple of episodes, I remember the judges saying, ‘We haven’t really seen your personality. We don’t really know Ezra.’ And that night, after being told that, I’m just going, like, ‘This is tough. There’s so much going on. There’s the competitive edge in the air and I’m kind of reserved for the most part.’”
Moreland said the breakup scene helped facilitate him getting in touch with his feelings,which were previously stifled by the stress of the competition.
“I wanted to be my outgoing, funny, goofy, emotional self. And in this environment that was not easy,” he continued. “So to see myself breaking down and to have a chance to show the world how much my family means to me — and it’s kind of tough to watch yourself cry on TV — but it was a very proud moment. I’m so happy with that.”
That wasn’t the only moment Moreland made his mark on the competition. He put his best foot forward for the penultimate episode when the three finalists were asked to perform a walz and dialogue alongside Dancing With the Stars pro Witney Carson.
“She’s the most elegant moving human I’ve ever seen,” Moreland gushed of Carson. “All those guys had never [done a] waltz before. And for her to replicate what you see in the end of the episode and us all being in step is so impressive. Hands down to her. She’s just so amazing.”
Moreland also praised Carson, 31, for her endless patience. “She could easily have been like, ‘You’re slowing me down’ or put us down if we weren’t up to speed,” he said. “I was so, so thankful for her, because without somebody that was that patient, it would’ve been a whole different story.”
Someone else Moreland credits for their endless patience is Jessica Lowndes. The two star in the upcoming Happy Howlidays, where Moreland will make his acting debut. The film follows webpage editor Mia (Lowndes) as she crosses paths with Seattle dog shelter owner Max (Moreland) after reducing a pup on the street. As their pets begin to fall in love, sparks begin to fly between them, too.
“There’s so much heart and love in this movie,” Moreland told Us of the film, which premieres on Hallmark Channel Saturday, December 21. “My character Max starts off heartbroken, kind of closed off. He and I have a similar background in the military, which I could relate to.”
Moreland — who is a former Navy rescue diver — noted that “any positive outcome” from the movie is in “huge thanks” to Lowndes, whose “skill level” and “professionalism” helped him through the process from start to finish.
“Jessica [was] just helping me step by step along the way,” he explained. “And our two characters, what we go through, there’s just so much heart and it’s very uplifting. And [our] two dogs fall in love in this movie! It’s the sweetest thing you’re ever gonna see. It’s just everything Hallmark.”
While Finding Mr. Christmas taught the contestants how to execute small scenes, Moreland said he was “shocked” by the filming process once he actually arrived on set. “I had no idea the man hours and energy and focus it takes from every single member of the production” to bring a movie to life, he told Us.
“I was very caught off guard,” he continued, laughing. “I don’t think there’s any way to completely prepare for that other than just jumping into doing it. But it was so impressive. I’ve never been more exhausted in my life.”
Luckily for Moreland, there was “a little bit of time” between being crowned as Mr. Christmas and shooting Happy Howlidays and it allowed him to brush up on his acting chops.
“I got to receive the script for the first time, meet the producers and kinda get in the right headspace, which I didn’t even know what that was,” he quipped. “But I got to work with Jeffrey Marcus, my acting coach, who Jonathan Bennett is good friends with. And that helped a lot. That was my first true introduction into breaking a script down and trying to prepare for a leading role in a movie.”
Now, the film is finished and Moreland is gearing up to share it with the rest of the world — including his parents and siblings. Whatever comes after that, Moreland is ready.
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“Bring it on,” he told Us. “Somehow [Finding Mr. Christmas] is the gift that just keeps giving. Stepping forward into life after this, it’s just kind of like everything’s brighter.”
Finding Mr. Christmas is streaming on Hallmark+ now and Happy Howlidays premieres on Hallmark Channel Saturday, December 21, at 8 p.m. ET.
