After “Finding Mr. Christmas” fans watched Hallmark’s Jonathan Bennett send season two contestant Gabriel Thaxton “home for the holidays” during the elimination ceremony on November 17, 2025, the hunky model and his wife delivered some happy news: they’re going to be parents again!
On November 18, 2025, Andrea Bartlow shared a joint post with Thaxton, with a black-and-white photo of their nine-month-old daughter Jori in a stroller, grabbing onto a series of ultrasound photos her mom was holding. She wrote, “Jori approved and coming soon. 🫶🏽 can’t wait to meet our May baby. @gabrielthaxton and I are knee deep in ‘the good old days’ and we know it.”
Gabriel Thaxton Joined ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’ With His Friend Davey Fisher
Thaxton made it to the top seven out of 10 hunks vying for a chance to become Hallmark Channel’s next leading man, competing in creative and physical challenges as Hallmark stars help Bennett and lead judge Melissa Peterman determine who should stay each week and who must go home.
The 32-year-old model hails from Laramie, Wyoming, and was cast on the show alongside one of his best friends and former roommates, Davey Fisher, who was also a new dad when they started filming the show in the spring.
Though Thaxton was sweet, kind, and easy on the eyes, he had a hard time mastering the acting skills it takes to be a rom-com star — especially remembering his lines and exuding confidence. Unfortunately, he wound up in the bottom two at the elimination ceremony three weeks in a row.
“You’re a star,” Peterman told Thaxton after Bennett told him he’d been cut. “I believe it, we believe it, we just want you to believe it.”
“The only competition in your way is you,” Bennett added, “and once you conquer that, the sky’s the limit.”
Gabriel Thaxton Says ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’ Taught Him How to Be Himself
HallmarkAfter his elimination, Thaxton told producers, “I’m disappointed that I didn’t get my confidence quick enough to stay in this competition. I feel like I’m on the right track now, though.”
Thaxton also told True Hollywood Talk that heading to Utah for the competition was well worth the effort and time.
“I would say it taught me how to just be myself, honestly,” he told the outlet. “A huge part of the show is just showing the world who you are and bringing that to a scene or to a challenge. I felt like the main thing that I learned was just that I’m enough… and that if I’m just myself, that’s going to be good.”
“I would say that the biggest asset that anybody has is who they are as a person. That is unique to every individual so nobody else can bring what you can bring,” Gabe concluded.
When Bennett shared a sweet farewell post to Thaxton, the model commented, “Thank you for everything Jonathan! Couldn’t have grown so much on the show without you 💙”
“Finding Mr. Christmas” airs Monday nights on Hallmark Channel at 8 p.m. Eastern time and is available to stream on Hallmark+. The winner of the competition will get to co-star in a 2025 Hallmark Christmas movie. Hallmark hasn’t revealed yet which of its Countdown to Christmas movies the winner will appear in.
Well, this is a hallmark bomb. I think the public should be the judges instead of the ones they have now. It seems biased and the elimination reasons unreasonably flawed.