Hallmark Renews Finding Mr. Christmas for Season 2 Hosted by…

The search for “Mr. Christmas” continues!

Hallmark has renewed its first-ever hit reality competition series, Finding Mr. Christmas, for a second season just weeks after its inaugural season came to an end, PEOPLE can exclusive reveal.

The news of Jonathan Bennett returning to his hunt for the next Hallmark Christmas movie star comes nearly two months after the competition’s first season premiered on Oct. 31 on Hallmark+. The landmark series features the 43-year-old actor and host traveling across the country to find 10 potential candidates, giving aspiring actors a chance to “compete in a variety of entertaining challenges, with a Hallmark twist, to be crowned Hallmark’s next leading man and take home the title of ‘Mr. Christmas,'” per a synopsis.

Finding Mr. Christmas‘ debut season also featured assistance from lead judge Melissa Peterman, as well as a string of guests judges, all of whom attempt to “determine who has the most talent, heart, authenticity and charisma to be the next Hallmark superstar.”

As for the winner of the show, he’s awarded the gig of a lifetime: A lead role in one of Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas movies — courtesy of Hallmark itself.

Last season featured names such as Elijah Malcomb, Ezra Moreland and Hayden Maher, as the series brought together a former Texas Tech football player, a former Team USA athlete, a firefighter and a Broadway alum (among others) to see who would leave a lasting impression and make it in the acting business.

Before the winner was revealed during the first season’s finale on Dec. 12., Bennett spoke with PEOPLE about what makes someone a Hallmark leading man.

“People really need to step back and look at the contestants and say which one of these do I want to be the next Hallmark leading man? Because they all have so many amazing qualities,” he teased. “But there is one that just has that thing about him and I think people are starting to pick up on who it could be.”

As for her take on the contestants in the first season, Peterman told PEOPLE at Hallmark’s Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story premiere that she “changed my mind” on her pick every day.

“I love them all, but some days, someone had a better day or a different or they showed us something they hadn’t shown us before,” Peterman explained.

“There was somebody for everyone to fall in love with,” she added. “So some people will be, ‘Oh, shoot!’ and some people will be there. But ultimately, I think they will fall in love with the winner.”

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Moreland, who came out victorious, has since starred alongside Jessica Lowndes in Happy Howlidays, which premiered on Dec. 21 on Hallmark Channel. Fans will have to stay tuned for when the next iteration of Finding Mr. Christmas hits the streamer again.