Original subtitles

Previously on Finding Mr. Christmas.

In a shocking twist, will you and the guys be giving Parker a second chance to

compete? Absolutely.

Oh my gosh.

This is where you're going to be performing your next scene. Without

scripts.

We're doing improv!

Some of our leading men excelled when it came to thinking on their feet.

You own the tree farm. Yes, I do. So if you need your trees, we got you.

Elijah, congratulations.

Jonathan struggled to listen to his scene partners.

That jacket's too tight. Take it off.

And Parker completely forgot to keep his face on camera. In the end, Parker was

eliminated again.

Parker, it's time to take your stocking down. You're going home for the

holidays. Five leading men remain as we continue the hunt for finding Mr.

Christmas.

Got to represent, you know, put a little cardigan on for Parker. Exactly, bro.

Big dad vibes. Big dad vibes, right.

It's going to be interesting how the group continues to communicate without

such a vivid presence.

Jonathan, I was surprised to see you get called down there. Yeah, man, it's

definitely tough.

It's the nature of the beast.

Someone's got to be in the bottom. We're down to five, guys.

I don't think any of us should try to fall into that trap of trying to look at

the finish line, focus on whatever they throw at us today, and then we'll figure

out, you know, the future in the future. Ooh!

Wait a second!

Come on.

Being in the bottom, the last elimination was definitely difficult for

me. Wait!

But I need to kind of clear my mind and go into this festive face-off with a

fresh slate.

Hey, guys, the competition is closing in, and we are down to five golden men.

Let's be a little trivial.

Oh.

In today's festive face-off, we're testing your holiday spirit.

This is Christmas Trivia.

Yeah!

I've never done Christmas trivia before, but because I watch so many Christmas

movies, I feel like I got this one.

You'll be asked a series of holiday trivia questions.

I'm going to ask you to write your answers on the chalkboard next to you.

First guy to get seven correct answers wins.

Right. The winner will be getting a tremendous advantage going into the star

quality challenge.

This advantage is the ultimate one.

Jonathan, you have yet to win a challenge.

Do you have a strategy coming into this today? I think I know a lot about

Christmas, and so I hope I get a couple right.

Christmas trivia, I'm pretty decent. I wouldn't say I'm the best. I wouldn't

say I'm the worst. So we'll see how we compete today.

Christmas trivia, here we go.

I don't play a lot of trivia, and usually when I think I have the right

answer, it's wrong.

Question number one.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was

stirring, not even a...

Okay, reveal.

The correct answer is mouse.

Congratulations, you all got it. Nice.

Here we go, next question.

The tradition of using a decorated tree as a symbol of Christmas began in this

European country.

This Christmas trivia is on another level. It's way more difficult than I

was expecting.

And reveal.

Elijah, Europe is not a country.

The correct answer is Germany.

Congratulations, Jonathan.

I'm the only one to get Germany. This is a fun fact that I heard back in the day.

I never forgot it. This next question might be better coming from our special

guest today.

Please welcome TV critic from Entertainment Weekly, Kristen Baldwin.

Hello, Kristen.

Thanks for having me. I've never been in Santa's workshop before. I know.

Okay, guys.

Which famous comedian has a song about Hanukkah?

You guys ready? Reveal.

Blake, you said Dave Chappelle.

Hayden, you said Eddie Murphy.

Jonathan, what is Wi-Fi?

I think he means Will Ferrell. Oh, I need my glasses. We're connecting over

here. Okay. And Ezra and Elijah said Adam Sandler.

Ezra and Elijah, you got it right. Adam Sandler.

Okay, guys.

Who is the singer that hits the high notes in the Christmas song, All I Want

for Christmas Is You?

All right, reveal.

Mariah Carey. You all got it right. Congratulations.

I mean, it's the queen of Christmas. We all know this. Come on. Thank you so

much for having me. Thanks, guys.

A round of applause for Christic. Can I get a ho, ho, ho?

Ho, ho, ho.

Let's go, boys.

What is the origin country of eggnog?

Ready?

Reveal.

The correct answer is...

England. Which means, Blake, you're the only one that got it right.

He guessed that. Let's be real.

We've got Blake, Ezra, and Elijah, and Jonathan have three.

Hayden has two.

What is traditionally used to make Frosty the Snowman's nose?

Wait. I'm overthinking it. I am too.

And reveal.

Get me up there.

Dude, I had that written down.

The correct answer is... Button.

I changed it.

I had it right in the first place. Button.

It's a button nose.

In the poem, Twas the Night Before Christmas, what greeting did Santa leave

with?

Can you use it in a poem?

Think about it.

Three, two, one, reveal.

Ezra, you did not write a happy new year.

I had no idea.

The correct answers are from Blake and Hayden.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

So Elijah and Blake have four, everyone else has three. We need seven correct

answers to win the advantage.

What nut is often roasted and enjoyed during the holiday season?

I'm just going to risk it.

What nut did you pick?

Chestnut is correct.

Jonathan, you're an almond?

It's a holiday staple, you know?

Almonds are a holiday staple?

What on earth is a chestnut? I have no idea what a chestnut is. Someone will

educate me, I'm sure.

So that means that Blake and Elijah are in the lead with five. Jonathan and

Hayden, you got to catch up. Next question.

What are the two other popular names for Santa Claus?

So there's Santa Claus, and then he goes by two other names.

Okay, ready to reveal? Go ahead.

Ezra wrote Saint Nick and Mr. Christmas.

Snow Dude and Saint Nick were not the answers we were looking for.

I could not think of any names for Santa, so I just started to get

creative. Kris Kringle, Saint Nick. Oh, what?

But we'll count Father Christmas.

What? Because it is one of the names it goes by.

Blake, Hayden, Elijah, you're right. If Blake or Elijah get this question right,

they win the game.

If they both get it right, we will go into a tiebreaker.

Now I just have to drive this puppy home strong and finish the job. This

Christmas plant, popular for its bright red leaves, is native to Mexico and

Central America.

Man, I actually bought these before. I should know this.

Reveal.

Ezra, you came so close by drawing a heart because a heart is red

and heart is what Christmas is all about.

I'm going to give you Mr.

Congeniality for that answer, okay? You get that.

The answer we were looking for is...

Poinsettia, which means that Elijah and Blake, you both won, and we are going

into a tiebreaker.

Elijah has mentioned several times that he's not good at trivia, yet he's in the

championship with me going for the tiebreaker.

We are going into a sudden tiebreaker. All the way from the North Pole, a

question from Santa Claus.

What snacks are left out on Christmas Eve for Santa and his

reindeer?

What snacks are left out on Christmas Eve?

Elijah and Blake, this is for the win.

Reveal.

The correct answer is milk, cookies,

and carrots, which means, Elijah, you got it right. You can't leave out the

reindeer.

That means, Elijah, you're the winner. Congratulations!

I get the advantage for the star quality challenge, and I am feeling good.

Guys, this has been fun and informative.

I'll see you tomorrow for your next acting challenge.

Get out of here.

Elijah, he's been very strong in all the competitions. So just to give him one

extra advantage, one extra leg up, I'm going to really have to watch my back

for him.

What's going on, Taze?

Yo, yo, what's up, champion?

I miss my girlfriend.

I know she's holding it down at home, but it's kind of hard for me being here

and not being there to physically support her through this journey.

Even though I've been on a good streak lately, I'm definitely missing home and

missing my girlfriend, who's six months pregnant.

It's tough being here while she's going through...

part of this pregnancy without me. I know I'm here for a purpose. I'm here

for them so that I can have a chance at giving my daughter a better life than I

had, you know? For me, when I'm thinking about being here, I really think about

my parents.

As you guys know, losing my dad a couple years ago, me and my dad didn't have it

perfect, right?

But we also didn't have time either.

I lost my father at an early age of 47.

He fought cancer for two years.

Brain cancer is very aggressive.

And I took care of him too, man. I took almost a year just like with him in the

trenches. No track and field, no academia.

You know, he always spoke this into my life. My father loved movies. He would

finish a movie and he would be like, man, I feel like you should be in the

movie. He always believed in me and my ability to be on the screen, you know,

really inspiring, motivating, and bringing meaning to people's lives,

entertaining folks.

In this process, I'm learning a lot.

I'm growing a lot. If you asked me to do a 15-minute script before an audition a

couple months ago, I'd be like, man, this is crazy. Give me a whole day.

But now that we know we can do a 15-minute script, I'm like, bro, give me

a longer script. He would be so proud of you. Much love, bro.

It's down to five of us. If I'm going to survive another week in this

competition, I'm like, okay, it's time to step it up. Hey guys, welcome to your

next star quality challenge.

Let's go.

Last week, we asked you to think on your feet and be funny during improv.

The scene you're about to perform is going to be a complete 180.

This week, we're giving you a breakup script.

My strong points are kind of being humorous and being lighthearted and

funny. This is obviously a super serious scene. This is the most nerve-wracking

one for me. You'll not only be performing in an emotional scene with a

Hallmark star, but we've invited another surprise guest to direct you.

Oh!

I'm so excited to finally get to work with a director.

Now it's elevated.

Please welcome your co-star for this challenge.

She is a Hallmark superstar.

She acts, produces, and sings, and is one of my closest friends in the world,

the one and only Rachel Boston.

Hello.

It's so good to be here.

Rachel Boston, she's just such a phenomenal actress, and I'm so excited

to work with her.

Rachel, meet the guys.

I'm so excited to be working with all of you, and we have someone fantastic to

guide us through it today.

This next Hallmark star played Rachel's best friend in A Ring by Spring, and she

directed my movie, The Holiday Sitter, which, in my opinion, is the best movie

she directed.

She's a triple threat, and my friend, Allie Liebert.

Hello,

hello, hello, hello.

Allie Liebert, she's big time.

Hi, guys. Hi.

How are you?

Great. How are you? All the guys feel like, okay, this is it. We really got to

step up to this one.

In today's challenge, you'll be judged on script knowledge, emotional

availability, how well you take direction, and of course, star quality.

Elijah, because you won the festive face-off, you get to choose the order of

the performances, which will also dictate the amount of time each guy can

reference their script.

I wish I would have had that advantage.

I'll go first.

And then after me, I think Hayden.

Okay. So Elijah decides to put me second, and I get his thinking here.

I've been lucky enough to do pretty well in the acting challenges so far.

Then Jonathan, Blake, and Ezra.

Elijah knew this was going to be a harder scene for me, so he put me second

to last.

I can't be more thankful.

Guys, you'll get to spend some time with Rachel and Ali.

and get the inside track on what they're looking for, not only as a co-star, but

as a director.

Elijah, because you won the festive face-off, you also get a second

advantage. An extended amount of one-on-one time with Rachel and Ally,

right before your scene.

Use that to your advantage.

Ally and Rachel, we're gonna leave you to it.

Melissa and I will be in the garage, prank calling Lacey Chabert. Oh, let's

do it. Okay, fun, fun. Yeah, fun, guys. Do you remember her number? Yes, I got

it.

Okay. I've got some scripts for you. Let's do it.

Okay.

Appreciate it, Allie.

Awesome. Thank you. In the script, it says, and your eyes fill with tears, and

everybody reads that and is just like, ooh.

This scene is what we would call a high-stakes scene.

It's really important is that when you're coming into this scene that this

character is still filled with hope.

In your mind...

This is the reconciliation scene, right? Because he's made this mistake. You need

to make it right with her. And he tries all these different ways, right? He

brings her snacks and, you know, he's bringing s'mores.

So hopeful but a little nervous.

Mm-hmm. Okay.

Is there anything else you recommend during the scene that's gonna make it

that much more emotional?

Like, this is one where you can just take the toolbox of your life and just

pouring it into these scenes, I think you can really feel.

Thinking about your own life, has there ever been a moment where you've been

really close to losing the person that you really love?

I think that any time you can bring something personal, I think people

really do feel that.

And if it's not working, you're gonna have to dig a little...

Deeper. In the past, I struggled to connect in the scenes, letting my

emotional self just shine through.

See you out there.

If I can't find a way to just really open up, I'm just not gonna last in this

competition.

For the past three days, you haven't answered any of my texts.

I need to do something to prove I still deserve to be here, so I'm taking a huge

risk today. For the past three days...

You haven't answered any of my texts.

I'm gonna do my American accent.

Farmers grow great potatoes in Boise, Idaho.

I had a feeling this might require a heavy hitter. You're not supposed to say

anything.

I am.

You're not fine.

The script is so interesting.

You shouldn't have to say anything.

After having the conversations with Ali,

I'm thinking of my girlfriend and trying to picture her as if I'm speaking to her

in this scene.

Elijah, we need you on set.

Which helps in some ways because it's like everything is on the line. Let's

go. Break legs, break leg.

The pressure is on.

So this is our set.

Honestly, I love sitting by the fire pit, so I'm already happy.

Very calming, for sure.

All right, so Rachel is going to be sitting in this chair. Okay.

Such a great advantage to have that one-on-one time with Ali. Huge. And so

this is your camera, right? Okay.

Great. And this stump is here for you to, you know, put your props on. Okay.

Okay, so maybe the cookie's there.

Cool, cool. Do you have any other questions?

The line, you're not fine.

It's weird when you're wanting to get somebody to forgive you to tell them how

they're feeling.

Great question. Like, we've known each other for so long, I know who you are.

Totally. Exactly.

I think it's like, I know you. Okay. You know? Your instincts?

Perfect. Okay.

I feel great knowing that I have this figured out.

Okay, everybody.

Action!

Mind if I join you?

I mean, you're already here. Do I really have a choice?

I come bearing a peace offering.

Snickerdoodles.

Your favorite.

Fair enough.

You know, I had a feeling this might require a heavy hitter.

S'mores?

You didn't have to do that. I'm fine. Seriously.

Jules, you're not fine.

For the last three days, you haven't responded to any of my texts with more

than a thumbs up emoji.

It's because I didn't know what to say.

All I've been trying to do is to tell you that... I'm

sorry.

I am so, so sorry.

Do you know I've been saving for four years to try to make a bid on that

space? And then a week before Christmas, your company just comes in and buys it

out from under me?

Look, I am not one of these corporate jerks.

I'm the man you're dating.

I don't think that's happening anymore.

Jules, I know how angry you are.

I'm not angry.

I'm heartbroken.

Merry Christmas.

And cut!

Yeah. I liked it. I liked it too.

Thank you so much.

Wow, thank you.

I didn't get any tears, but I'm hoping that it's enough to at least keep me

safe tonight.

You're not fine.

Going into this scene, I'm just kind of hit with the panic I felt by the

breakdown of my relationship.

Please.

The emotionality, vulnerability is something I gravitate towards.

Hayden, you're up.

But I'm going to try and step it up another level. I decided to put a

memento in my pocket.

Hi. Welcome. Hi, Hayden. Wow. Welcome. Happy to be here.

Can you put this in your pocket?

Sure.

Thank you. When I moved out of my apartment, I found one of my dog

Archie's squeaker toys.

under a couch and he'd tear the toy up just to get to the squeaker and i kept

that squeaker just to remember him good boy the very last second i thought

i'm going past rachel maybe i'll get her to hold archie's toy maybe that will

increase the connection i have with her action uh knock knock do you mind if i

join you do i really have a choice um

Well, I come bearing snickerdoodles, your favorite.

Fair enough.

You just stopped by to bring me weird snacks and have small talk. You didn't

have to. I'm fine. Seriously.

I am sorry, okay?

I am so, so sorry.

And if I had known, if I had any idea that Chris was planning on buying that

store... I would never have let it happen. Do you know that I've been

saving for four years trying to make a bid on that place? And then the week

before Christmas, your company, it just buys it right up. I know, I know.

Please.

Please.

I'm working on it.

Trust me.

I'm not one of those corporate jerks.

I'm the man you're dating.

I don't think we are anymore.

Julia, I know how angry you are, but... And you have every right to be, but...

That's where you're wrong. I'm not angry.

I'm heartbroken.

Julia?

Merry Christmas.

Real nice.

And he did an American accent.

Thank you.

Um... Yeah.

Yeah. Okay.

That was beautiful.

Thank you for holding on. Oh, my gosh. So curious as to what it was. Yeah. Um,

that is my... And that is my dog's favorite squeaker toy.

Unbelievable. What a smart thing to do is to harness your real emotion and

bring it into the emotion of the scene.

Oh, he got some real tears.

I just...

hope it's enough and the judges see that I really care and that I'm good enough

to be here.

I'm really excited about this one.

Being in a serious scene, I know how crucial it is to get to the vulnerable

part of myself.

This is an opportunity to show my range and gain the attention of the judges.

And action!

The scene starts and unfortunately my s'mores just fall out my pocket.

You mind if I join you?

You're already here.

I really have a choice.

You know... Right when I get up there to say my lines, my

lines are nowhere to be found.

I'm giving myself time to look at her.

What's in your hand?

Good job, Rachel. May this help.

We're not giving up on this. There's a zone you get in when you gotta, you

know, there's, it's like fight or flight.

So I just stay in it and hope that I remember my lines.

I came bearing a peace offering.

Oh, did you?

Snickerdoodles. Your favorite.

Okay.

Fair enough.

I had a feeling I might have to bring out the heavy hitter.

More.

Hey, look, if you just came by to bring me some weird snacks and make small

talk, you didn't have to. I'm fine, seriously.

You're not fine.

For the last three days, you haven't answered any of my texts with more than

just a thumbs-up emoji.

I don't know what to say.

You're not supposed to say anything.

I am.

All I've been trying to do for the past week is tell you that...

I'm sorry.

I am so, so sorry.

Do you know that I have been saving for four years trying to make a bid on that

space?

And then just the week before Christmas, your company up and just buys it out

from under me?

Please.

I'm not some corporate jerk.

I'm... I'm the man of the day.

Yeah, I don't think that's happening anymore.

I know how angry you are. I'm not angry.

That's where you're wrong.

Merry Christmas.

And cut!

I thought he was going to go there. Thank you so much.

Had to take those breathers a couple times, but I appreciate the food.

I feel like sports really apply to life. In a race, sometimes you may not start

the race off good.

However... Like any race, you never get too nervous. You stay in the game, and

you never give up. And that's exactly what I did today. And I'm proud of

myself for it. Come sit here.

You don't have to speak. I'm just going to use you as a body, OK?

Mind if I join you?

I think all men can say we've been in situations like this.

You're right. Where we've done something wrong to make our girlfriend mad, and we

have to go, you know, eat crow, as they say.

Yo, you think the emotion in my eyes was good?

Girl. Absolutely.

I guess just the pressure of what the scene actually is that was getting to

him, so I'm trying to calm him down.

Don't even worry about, like, the emotion in your eyes, because she's

going to be giving you so much emotion.

I'm like, listen, you know, we don't all fit into these confines of what...

a leading man or woman, for that matter, or anybody should be.

Thank you, bro.

So I told him, I was like, go out and knock this thing out of the park.

Stand by for Blake. All right, come on, Blake. Let's do it. Come on, Blake.

We're rooting for you.

All right.

Quiet, everybody.

And action.

Knock, knock.

Do you...

Mind if I join you?

You're already here. Do I have a choice?

Well, how about a few items?

Snickerdoodles.

They're your favorite.

Okay, if you just came by to bring me some weird snacks and have small talk,

you didn't have to. Look, you're not fine.

For the past three days, you've only answered my text messages with thumbs-up

emojis. The most simple form of response.

Yeah, because I...

Don't know what to say.

You're not supposed to say anything.

A lot of pauses, and I don't think they're necessarily for dramatic effect.

I'm sorry.

I am so, so sorry.

Do you know that I've been saving for four years?

Please.

I'm working on it.

Trust me.

I'm not one of these corporate jerks. I'm the man you're dating.

I don't think that's happening anymore.

Jules, I know how angry you are.

And you have every right to be. That's where you're wrong.

I'm not angry.

I'm heartbroken.

Merry Christmas.

I think it's a blessing and a curse because I don't have an acting

background to lean on. Thank you, though. You made it a lot easier. Oh, my

gosh. Even though I wasn't as emotional, I tried to be as sincere as I could and

keep as good as eye contact as I could.

This scene is about loss, and I'm thinking about my oldest sister.

that passed away.

It's just hitting me so hard. Kathleen, she was always so inspiring and

definitely one of my role models.

I was in the Navy.

I got that life-changing phone call from one of my brothers that she passed away

unexpectedly.

I'm sorry.

Ezra, need you on set.

I'm scared.

I have to be vulnerable.

And I'm just trying to take myself back to those painful moments. This is

something that's really going to take a lot to accomplish.

All right.

And action!

Knock, knock.

Mind if I join you?

I mean, you're already here.

Do I really have a choice?

I come bearing a peace offering.

Snickerdoodles? Your favorite.

Okay, fair enough.

Okay, if you just came by to bring some weird snacks and have small talk, I'm

fine. Seriously.

For the last three days, you haven't answered any of my texts. Because I

don't know what to say.

I'm sorry.

I'm so, so sorry.

If I had any idea Chris was planning on buying the store, I wouldn't have let it

happen. You have to know that.

Do you know that I've been saving every day for four years trying to make a bid

on that space, and then a week before Christmas, your company just up and buys

it out from under me?

I'm working on it.

Trust me.

I'm not one of those corporate jerks.

I'm the man you're dating.

Yeah, I don't think that's happening anymore.

Jules, I know how angry you are. I'm not angry.

I'm heartbroken.

Merry Christmas.

Very nice, and cut!

When the scene ends, I feel like I did a pretty good job, but at the end of the

scene, the tears just didn't come.

This is a tricky scene.

They went for it. They had some real friction that you could feel the

friction, and Rachel, you just set them up so beautifully.

So many different things reeling around inside.

Yeah. Let's talk about Elijah.

I could feel the pain, the love, and he was so bang on with his instincts.

I don't want to go home.

Let's talk about Hayden, who came in with an American accent, and he has a

very strong Australian accent, and he made a choice. I don't know if I would

have done that if I was in his position.

And let's talk about that he handed...

Yes, at the time of the scene.

And it was something that belonged to his dog. Dog Archie that Hayden is

missing very much right now. He made a lot of brave choices.

He did.

But do brave choices always pay off, though?

Right at the beginning, I had to, like, take a breather and sit in the line for,

like, a minute.

Jonathan, right off the bat, dropped the cookies.

And I think that just really threw him off.

You could tell there was a few moments he was looking for the line or maybe a

little bit floundering, but we've all been there where it's like, uh-oh.

It's gone. It happens. And I think even with all the chaos at the beginning, you

could still see, like, little sparkles of who he was.

Everything up to this point felt like I was just having fun.

That felt like I was acting, if that makes sense.

So let's go on to Blake. You could see his heart. You said he has not acted

before. Never.

Do you feel that? I did.

I was rooting for him. I was rooting for him, too.

You know, he's great at doing comedy, but this serious scene really tested

him. And then let's talk about Ezra.

I felt his nerves in the beginning kind of got the better of him.

And then there came a time in the scene where I could almost feel, like, the

weight get off his shoulders.

I just kept thinking, what have you gone through? What have you seen?

Like, I felt that in the scene. It takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable.

Like, and to go there. That's not something that's easy to do.

You know how many guys out there would just have these feelings and be like,

whatever. Right. But really what they're doing is they're not man enough to look

themselves in the mirror and say what I'm feeling is real. Yeah.

You know? It takes a real man to look in the mirror and deal with it.

That's what you're doing. That's what we're doing.

I appreciate y'all.

I feel it.

Thinking of my sister.

that passed away i just started crying it's okay

and it felt like such

a weight lifted off me it's like certain

things just come up that always is like there and any time that i get to like

i have any bit of like a place of it

And, like, it's, like, the best feeling ever.

Yeah. The moments like this that I cherish, the only times I'm ever really,

like, able to connect like this is, like, when I'm with, like, my loved

ones.

You're amongst them now, mate.

Yeah. Believe in me.

For sure.

We got you.

We're here.

I'm definitely nervous going into tonight's elimination because I wasn't

completely dialed into my lines.

I'm proud that I took a risk talking with an American accent.

I know that if this risk doesn't work, I'm going home.

Hey, guys.

Tonight, one of you will be named this week's Shining Star, and one of you will

be headed home for the holidays.

In the end, only one of you will leave here with a role in a Hallmark holiday

movie and be crowned Mr.

Christmas. In today's Star Quality Challenge, you were gifted an incredible

scene partner, Rachel Boston, and an outstanding director, Ali Liebert. With

their guidance, they helped you to perform an emotional scene.

Hayden, you did something so inspiring.

It connected you both immediately.

I gave Rachel a toy that my dog loves.

I thought it might help me in the scene.

Then you decided to use an American accent.

Talk about putting a challenge on a challenge.

I don't know if I would have taken that risk myself, especially with such strong

competition.

Ezra, once your nerves left you, your vulnerability shined.

In the moment of kind of preparing, thinking of somebody I've lost, what it

would mean to get a single moment back, and then all came down to the point of

looking into Rachel's eyes.

Emotional scenes are a journey.

Throw in props, and it becomes an unexpected adventure.

Jonathan, when you don't have a chance to rehearse with props, it can be very

difficult. I did have some stumbles going in.

The never-give-up mentality definitely, you know, worked in this. I was very

happy that we executed all the way through the scene.

Blake, what was your motivation going into the scene today?

To be honest, I've never had to do anything like that acting-wise, and the

best way I can describe it is that my body wanted to fight it and not go

there.

Elijah, do you feel your advantage was useful in today's challenge?

I'm actually really proud of myself because I dread going first.

But I decided to challenge myself and give all these guys some extra time and

do something that scares me for once. And I hopefully showed that, you know,

what it feels like to feel that loss.

Guys, you gave more than we could have hoped for.

But unfortunately...

there can only be one winner.

The winner of the Star Quality Challenge made smart choices, showed his

vulnerability, and made us truly believe what was happening in the scene.

Tonight's shining star is... Hayden,

congratulations. Oh, my God.

Man, thank you. I'm ecstatic. I didn't know if the risk was going to pay off.

To be honest, I knew I had to do something different.

I'm just so thankful for the guidance, for the scene partner, and for these

guys here. They inspire me every day to be better. But seeing these guys always

step it up has inspired me to try and step it up some more. Well, you did just

that, buddy. You stepped up, and it paid off. Congratulations.

Unfortunately, where there are highs, there are also lows.

Blake and Jonathan, will you please step forward?

This is not the first time that I've been in pressure situations.

I grew up in pressure situations. I've competed in pressure situations.

Jonathan, Natalie did tell you guys to always start with hope.

But we didn't get that from you. And I think the props got in the way.

And that seemed to make you forget your lines a bit.

Blake, you came into the scene strong.

But your eyes kept shifting out of the scene and we could tell that you were

thinking about the next line or emotion.

And that kind of made your confidence and your emotional connection waver a

bit. Your lack of experience might have caught up with you a little bit.

Unfortunately, one of you will be going home tonight.

I'm literally shaking because I've made it this far and I don't want to go home

now. I don't want to go home yet, but I don't want Blake to go home either.

Jonathan, take your stocking down. You're going home for the holidays.

Blake, you may join the others.

Jonathan, this is hard for us because we're so proud of your growth.

The way you connected with your scene partners was impressive to watch.

But in this competition, a mistake like forgetting your lines sends you home.

I understand that it's a tight competition.

It's been a blessed experience working with all of you, and thank you for the

opportunity. It's been so fun to watch you make every single thing you do

positive. Take some time to say your holiday goodbyes.

I didn't win this competition, but I feel like there's going to be a lot more

in the future for me.

My father will be extremely proud.

I stepped up to the plate to be able to come on the show and really give it my

all. And I know my dad will be proud of me just even going for this opportunity.

This competition is heating up.

This is the time that all of you need to push yourselves because time is running

out. Was this close to going home? I've been given a second chance and I'm super

grateful for that. Feels like a fire's lit. We'll see you next week as we

continue the hunt for Mr.

Christmas. Despite our brotherhood, at the end of the day, I'm here to win.