There’s a suprise sprinkle of “Go Pack Go” mixed in with all the “Ho, ho, ho” of the Hallmark Channel’s new season of “Finding Mr. Christmas.”
Former Green Bay Packers punter Jake Schum is among the 10 contestants who will be putting their “holiday hunkness to the test” for a shot at landing a starring role in one of Hallmark’s 2025 Countdown to Christmas movies.
It’s the second season for the reality TV series that’s about more than just looking jolly and good in a Christmas sweater. The competition puts the men through challenges like wrapping gifts, untangling lights, navigating holiday-themed obstacle courses, kissing on camera and acting on ice to learn how to become a Hallmark holiday leading man. Each week, one man is sent “home for the holidays” until the winner is named.
“Finding Mr. Christmas” premieres at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 on the Hallmark Channel and streams the next day on Hallmark+.
Schum, who played for the Packers in 2016 and 2017, is going in with no prior acting experience, but he’s well-equipped for anything physical they might throw at him. The 36-year-old husband and father owns Gridiron Gateway Elite Training in Lake View, New York, and works as a personal trainer.
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He told Entertainment Weekly he thinks his experience playing in front of crowds in the NFL might work in his favor. In an interview with Us Weekly, he said he considers his energy his best leading main trait.
“Just bringing that energy and being upbeat and just kind of like leading the way with that,” he told Us. “That’s kind of how I’ve lived my life, just kind of, you know, glass half full and just bringing that positive energy.”
Schum knows a little something about not giving up. He was cut five times in four years before making an NFL roster, first with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015. The Packers claimed him off waivers from the Bucs in August 2016. He played for Green Bay through the NFC championship game and signed a one-year extension in 2017 but ended up on injured reserve after a back injury. He was released by the Packers in June of that year.
In an Instagram post on Oct. 3 announcing his participation in “Finding Mr. Christmas,” Schum wrote: “So, I did a thing … Get ready for some fun! Man it was hard to keep this a secret! Here we go!!”
The show is hosted by Jonathan Bennett, with actress and comedian Melissa Peterman serving as the lead judge.
Season 1 winner Ezra Moreland starred in “Happy Howlidays” with Jessica Lownes last year.
Judge Melissa Peterman and “Finding Mr. Christmas” host Jonathan Bennett are ready to find the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas future when the second season of the reality competition debuts Oct. 27.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Ex-Packers punter Jake Schum joins Hallmark’s ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’