Meet the LEGO Masters contestants, part 2
Posted by MeganL,
In preparation for the season premiere of LEGO Masters on Wednesday, yesterday we looked at four of the teams competing in LEGO Masters: The Bearded Builders, The Higher the Hair the Closer to God, The Eccentrics, and Brothers Who Brick.
Today, we'll look at another four teams that responded to our interview questions: Married Thespians, The Newlyweds, East Coast Bricksters, and Clark Kent & Superman.
Like yesterday, we've asked (mostly) the same questions of each team. They've all shared the hardest part of the audition process, what it was like building on set, and more after the break.
Team: Married Thespians
Flynn & Richard
Hometowns: Oakland, CA
Occupations: LEGO Engineering Teacher K-6 and Theatrical Lighting Designer
Strengths: Artistic Look / EV3 builds with sensors and motors
Flynn and Richard on Instagram, flickr, and their website
Why did you decide to try out for LEGO Masters? What was the hardest part of the audition process for you?
Flynn and Richard: We were contacted by several casting producers in connection with the show over various social media channels. We were a little unsure at first but we figured, what the heck? Why not give it a try? The worst thing that could happen is we don’t get on. The hardest part of the audition process was waiting to find out if we actually got on! We were in the process from the beginning and it ended up being about a three month process.
Have the two of you built together as a team in the past?
Flynn & Richard: We have built as a team from the very beginning of our LEGO obsession. We do build small things separately, but our large pieces are all collaborations. We have been making art together for 30 years in some form or another. Usually based in theater.
What was the most difficult thing about building in the studio as opposed to building at home?
Flynn and Richard: I think that would probably be taking time to get used to where things were stored in the Brick Pit as opposed to our home studio where it’s all laid out like we like it. On some challenges our build table was closer to the Brick Pit than others, so if we were far away it definitely made us plan our shopping more carefully for fewer trips. Also, THE CLOCK! Always the clock!
How did you prepare for the show?
Flynn and Richard: We tried doing some timed challenges at home as well as studying up on various techniques. When working on the challenges on set, there was definitely a truncated design time. We really tried to slim that timing down but it was very difficult.
Richard: I worked on memorizing truss structures and gear meshings. I tried assembling structures as quickly as possible, trying some assemblies several times for speed.
What did you learn from your LEGO Masters experience?
Flynn: I definitely learned that working against a clock is not my forte’! I also learned that I can build significantly faster than I thought I could. I also learned so many interesting techniques and styles from the other contestants.
Richard: I learned techniques for building in 3D with no presentation side, figures that work from all angles. I also learned to cut out the stops and delays between building steps to speed the whole process. Like with “Finding Dory” we needed to “just keep swimming.”
Did you have a “dark ages” – a period of time where you didn’t build?
Flynn: I had a pretty long dark ages. LEGO was part of my childhood but not to the degree of some of the others. I did more with the performing arts and spent a lot of my time in the theater. About 6 years ago, I picked up 76022 X-Men vs. The Sentinel set as an alternative to sitting in front of the TV all night. I was a big X-Men fan as a kid so it definitely spoke to me. Once I put that together, I was hooked!
Richard: I built all through my childhood until I was a young teen. I think I sold all of my bricks at a garage sale to get something I can’t even remember. (!) Flynn’s birthday present of the X-Men set was the spark that brought my dark ages to light again. Now I am making up for lost time haha. We have done a lot with building in the last 6 years.
What was your favourite/first LEGO set/theme as a kid?
Richard: I don’t recall ever getting a set as a kid. I remember getting loose bricks for every birthday and Christmas and starting building from scratch. I recall getting very excited when I first got windows and doors!
How large is your LEGO collection at home? Did you find it difficult adjusting to the organization system of the bricks on the set vs what you have at home?
Flynn and Richard: We have a fairly large collection that is about half organized. Forever sorting is not a joke!
Richard: The organized part of our collection is very organized, mostly by type and some by color when we have a larger quantity or special color like pink or tropical blue. There were more drawers on set, which are faster than our collection where most bins have lids. Also, the Brick Pit was huge enough to run around in. Our brick room shares space with our dining room. :)
There are six women contestants in LEGO Masters. Historically, women make up around 10-20 percent of AFOLs. What do you think could be done to encourage more women to share our hobby?
Flynn: I think visibility is very important. I believe seeing other women building in venues like LEGO Masters will encourage others to do the same. I also think it’s important to make sure that young girls aren’t only exposed to Friends sets. Buy them Technic! Show them the wonders of EV3! If all they are exposed to are the traditionally gendered “girl” sets, they may think that’s all there is to the hobby when there is really so much more.
Richard: I also think the women contestants on the show can be a great inspiration. Jessica wore a different bow in each episode with an inspiring word on it. The skill sets of the men and women on the show were equal parts technical and aesthetic. I think this show can be an inspiration to builders of all types.
In some of the trailers, we’ve seen builds getting destroyed by various means. How did it feel to have your work literally smashed to bits?
Flynn and Richard: It was quite disconcerting to build something that was meant to be destroyed. We build things with sturdiness in mind normally. Even though it was hard to see the work smashed, it was also kind of cathartic in the end.
As members of GayFOLs, can we expect to see any Easter eggs to acknowledge the group in your builds?
Flynn: As artists, I think we also build a bit of ourselves into our work. If you’re paying attention, I’m sure you’ll see all sorts of obvious and not so obvious nods to our backgrounds.
Richard: We definitely put lots of ourselves into our pieces. Being gay is a part of myself that is hard to separate from all of the other parts. That part of our builds is woven right in.
Team: The Newlyweds
Tyler & Amy
Hometown: Bradenton, FL
Occupations: Model Designer and Piano Teacher
Strengths: Sculpting, capturing shape and movement/Resourcefulness
(All questions answered by Tyler)
Tyler on Facebook, Instagram, and website
Why did you decide to try out for LEGO Masters?
I’ve wanted there to be a LEGO reality competition show for a long time! So when I heard about it, I really wanted to compete in LEGO Masters. It seems like all my LEGO building over the years has been in preparation for something like this. Finding a partner willing to spend several weeks in Los Angeles was tricky. Thankfully my wife loves spending time wherever I am so having her as my partner just seemed natural.
The hardest part of the audition process was the fact that we were moving during some critical moments in the audition process. On the day we were packing most of our house and the LEGO collection we found out that we needed to film ourselves building something. That was rather stressful.
Have the two of you built together as a team in the past?
We haven’t built together in the past, but Amy likes to help me sort LEGO. We quickly developed a good strategy for how we would work together as a team. I focused on the technical design elements and focal points/main features of our builds. Amy was great at doing a lot of the scenic elements or little details as well as helping duplicate certain designs that we needed multiples of.
What was the most difficult thing about building in the studio as opposed to building at home?
At home, all my bricks are essentially within arm’s reach. On set, the brick pit was a nice little jog from most of the build tables. You don’t have the luxury of tinkering with pieces that you can reach out and easily grab. We had to really think about what we wanted to build and what pieces we needed before running to the pit. We tried not to have to make unnecessary trips to the brick pit.
What was your favourite/first LEGO set/theme as a kid?
Forestmen and Adventurers were my favorite themes growing up.
How did you prepare for the show? How do you approach the challenges?
I ran Amy through Brick Boot Camp where we created our own challenges and discussed how we would approach challenges and builds. We wanted to make sure we had a good plan for each challenge. We spent extra time in the beginning making sure we had a clear picture of exactly what we wanted to create. Then we’d break our time into phases.
What did you learn from your LEGO Masters experience?
I already knew that Amy and I work really well together as a team. We know how to efficiently work to accomplish tasks. Being on LEGO Masters just confirmed this for me even more. There were certainly stressful and tense times on the show, but we never got upset or angry with one another.
How large is your LEGO collection at home? Did you find it difficult adjusting to the organization system of the bricks on the set vs what you have at home?
I have a small bedroom with probably several million bricks. Most everything on set was sorted by part and color which is wonderful. I just have my collection sorted by part. I really want to sort my collection by part and color now.
There are six women contestants in LEGO Masters. Women make up around 10-20 percent of AFOLs. What do you think could be done to encourage more women to share our hobby?
LEGO Masters is a great way for women to see other women building and succeeding in the LEGO hobby. Seeing a female with the title of LEGO Master would also encourage more women to build with LEGO.
In some of the trailers, we’ve seen builds getting destroyed by various means. How did it feel to have your work literally smashed to bits?
I’m not overly attached to anything I make so seeing it destroyed didn’t pain me in any way. It was actually really awesome to build something knowing it would be destroyed. There’s also something cathartic about watching LEGO being unbuilt in slow-mo.
Team: East Coast Bricksters
Mel & Jermaine
Hometowns: Glen Burnie, MD and Bronx, NY
Occupations: Law Enforcement and Technical Cell Phone Consultant
Strengths: Great storytellers / Tall skyscraper buildings
(All questions answered by Jermaine)
Jermaine on flickr, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and website
Why did you decide to try out for LEGO Masters?
It actually wasn’t my idea. My bro Iceberg Bricks knew we had to apply as a duo and applied for me and told me to fill out my parts once I got home from work. Had I had enough time to look at my phone and see how the U.S. announcement for the show flooded my social media, I would’ve been sold immediately! The hardest part of the audition process came when they wanted my partner and I to build in the same space at the same time. We live nearly 4 hours apart but I wasn’t going to let that stunt our chances of being selected.
Have the two of you built together as a team in the past?
We’d never built together before the audition. Even with filming complete, I can’t say we’re necessarily “used to” building as a team. If anything, we have learned a lot about how to work around each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We’re both sort of perfectionist. It might be easier to get into our own groove if we’re not racing against the clock.
What was the most difficult thing about building in the studio as opposed to building at home?
Building at home is way easier considering I have a mental inventory of what pieces I already have versus having access to seemingly unlimited pieces that may shift around between challenges. There were also concerns of part hoarding while building. Also, we weren’t being allowed to build piece by piece within the brick pit. The cameras preferred us to build at our workstations.
What was your favourite/first LEGO set/theme as a kid?
I never really had a favourite set or theme growing up. I was just happy getting my hands on any LEGO that came through my door! It wasn’t until it became evident that I loved building Lego transformers that I became more aware of which sets came with more of the pieces I often used. Now I buy more Ninjago and Speed Champion sets over anything else, if not buying directly from bricklink. I’m sure my first set was likely a large bucket of Duplo bricks from before I could remember.
How did you prepare for the show?
I don’t believe it was possible to prepare for the show. How do you prepare for building with unlimited Lego?! The only thing I could do is push everything out of my head that wasn’t Lego related and give a hundred percent of myself to the challenges. I feel that overthinking or trying to guess what’s coming next is a distraction. It’ll take you off your game.
What did you learn from your LEGO Masters experience?
I’ve learned a LOT about myself, my abilities, my patience, and my endurance. I’ve always built alone so I had to learn how to work with another builder and how to adapt to their style. I’ve also learned that no matter how much experience you have, you can always learn more!
Did you have a “dark ages” – a period of time where you didn’t build?
My dark ages began with high school. My interest turned towards girls, dressing fly, and rapping. I graduated high school with an internship at a record label and did my best to get signed and become a producer. I’ve recorded a few albums and sold them, all self-funded. At one point my day job cut my hours back and I had to put music on hold. I discovered there were LEGO builders on youtube making money selling instructions for their MOCs and thought to myself “I can do this to support my music career!”. I soon gathered so much support for my talents with LEGO I put music on the back burner.
How large is your LEGO collection at home? Did you find it difficult adjusting to the organization system of the bricks on the set vs what you have at home?
I’ve never thrown out any of my Lego throughout my life. Always thought once I made it big from music I’d have my own Lego room in my mansion. But since the end of my dark ages I’ve nearly quadrupled my collection. It’s estimated to be worth between 15 and 20 thousand at this point and growing. The LEGO on set was like a candy store. Everything organized just as good as I have at home! I tend to organize by part type, then by color.
There are six women contestants in LEGO Masters. Historically, women make up around 10-20 percent of AFOLs. What do you think could be done to encourage more women to share our hobby?
It all starts with the parents. Little girls aren’t taught to harness their imaginations as much as boys do. Most toys designed for girl teach them to be pretty and become nurturers. We as a society need to encourage our children, regardless of gender, to use their minds, learn how to express themselves, be individuals, and know how to take care of themselves as well. Every person should be well rounded, and I believe LEGO fosters those initial habits to think outside the box.
In some of the trailers, we’ve seen builds getting destroyed by various means. How did it feel to have your work literally smashed to bits?
It wasn’t as harsh as it might seem. Luckily, we were given the requirements of what was to be done with our build before we built it, so we kept that in mind throughout the process. Our goal was to give you the best bang for your brick! What I didn’t count on was how connected everyone on set would become to what we created.
Team: Clark Kent & Superman
Christian & Aaron
Hometowns: Louisville, KY and Manchester, NH
Occupations: Army Sergeant and LEGO Educator
Strengths: Vehicle builds / Complex shaping
Aaron on Instagram, flickr
Christian on Instagram
Why did you decide to try out for LEGO Masters?
Aaron: A TV show that would test my LEGO skills on a global stage? I mean, how could I not apply? It felt like an opportunity I’d been preparing my whole life for without even knowing it.
Christian: I was approached by casting directors at BrickFair Virginia.
Aaron: He’s got a TV face. People are drawn to it.
Christian: For me, the hardest part was the waiting… I waited almost two months before getting the green light!
Aaron: Yeah, the casting process was really long. Having uncertainty about whether or not this opportunity would come to fruition, having that possibility hovering over my head for months, that was hard. Glad it all worked out in the end.
Have the two of you built together as a team in the past?
Christian: No, we haven’t.
Aaron: Our first time building together was in challenge one, actually. We really hadn’t built together before we got to set!
Christian: But it really didn’t take long at all for us to get in sync with each other.
Aaron: Totally. Christian and I turn out to be a really good fit for each other, not just in terms of our building styles, but also in terms of our energy and communication. We’re good at referring to the other person when something is out of our depth or leaning on each other when a situation gets hard.
What was the most difficult thing about building in the studio as opposed to building at home?
Aaron: I love building LEGO, and I loved building on set… But having cameras on your face, your hands, even following you across the floor at all times can be kind of stressful. Even if things are going great with your build, all those eyes make you feel like any mistake you make will get picked up and magnified.
Christian: Building in the studio was easier, for me.
Aaron: Really?
Christian: Well, the organization.
Aaron: Yeah, totally. I mean, I run a tight ship in my home studio with sorting but, man… having a team of people whose job it was to clean up our messy build area and sort parts for us, it was a dream come true.
Christian: Really, the space was perfect for our imaginations to run wild with possibilities.
Aaron: And run wild they did!
What was your favorite/first LEGO set/theme as a kid?
Christian: Star Wars was my favorite theme.
Aaron: Me too! Or, one of them. I also loved BIONICLE, Fantasy Era Castle, Mars Mission…
Christian: My first Lego set was a Jack Stone fire rescue first responder truck. It really has a special place close to my heart.
How did you prepare for the show?
Christian: I went in with an open mind to new ideas, and a positive attitude.
Aaron: And that’s kind of all you can do. The show will throw you for a loop, throw twists your way… all you can do is do your best to remain positive, so that you can remain creative.
Christian: I was excited to take on each new challenge with Aaron.
Aaron: Likewise, man!
What did you learn from your LEGO Masters experience?
Christian: I learned just how much one can do with LEGO… the possibilities are truly endless!
Aaron: Especially when they give you 3 million parts to work with.
Christian: To top that off: I learned how real family can come from the LEGO hobby.
Aaron: We walked out of our LEGO Masters journey not just having formed a brotherhood—a bromance—with each other, but also with the rest of the cast. It’s like a 20-person bromance. We love, support, admire, and cherish every person who we shared the experience with.
How large is your LEGO collection at home? Did you find it difficult adjusting to the organization system of the bricks on the set vs what you have at home?
Aaron: I’ve been told my collection is smallish, by AFOL standards, but that’s to say I only have one full room of LEGO versus, like, a pair of barns in my backyard.
Christian: Mine is fairly medium, compared to the 3.3 million bricks we used on LEGO Masters.
Aaron: The sorting in the Brick Pit was more intense than what I do at home. The hardest part was learning where everything was! You could know a part was in the “Technic corner” of the room, but then from there, it took dozens of return trips to get a sense for where x axle or y liftarm was.
Christian: It was a learning curve.
Aaron: Agreed.
Christian: The biggest adjustment was just knowing how big we could go, as I’d never built as big as we had on LEGO Masters before.
Aaron: Never?
Christian: Ever.
There are six women contestants in LEGO Masters. Historically, women make up around 10-20 percent of AFOLs. What do you think could be done to encourage more women to share our hobby?
Christian: I believe LEGO Masters is a perfect way to encourage more women to share our hobby.
Aaron: Agreed. I’m grateful that the show really pursued a diverse cast, not just in terms of gender, but also in terms of ethnicity, sexuality, age… LEGO is a hobby for everyone—everyone!—and I hope that seeing diversity represented on LEGO Masters helps more people realize that the brick can be for them, too.
In some of the trailers, we’ve seen builds getting destroyed by various means. How did it feel to have your work literally smashed to bits?
Christian: Fantastic.
Aaron: Yep. What he said.
I thought Clark Kent and Superman were never seen together in the same place. Obviously, you’re proving that wrong!
Aaron: Well, we have a few tricks up our sleeves. Christian, raise your sleeves! See, he’s all buff under there. You’d never have guessed by looking at him.
Are you looking forward to LEGO Masters? What teams do you hope will do well? Let us know in the comments.
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47 comments on this article
Thanks for these interviews, I am glad that LEGO has managed to join so many people.
Very excited to see Flynn and Richard, I love their work and as a member of the LGBT community it warms my heart to see them in the spotlight of my favorite hobby, I wish them the best
Brickset feels like TMZ lately
Were these questions asked over e-mail? (Aaron's response to the final question has me curious.)
Could we have a filter for these posts please? Feels like there's been more news articles about TV than Lego lately.
Lego has officially jumped on the inclusivity bandwagon.
Go Flynn and Richard!!!
@Veyniac said:
"Lego has officially jumped on the inclusivity bandwagon."
I don't get what you mean??? What's the issue?
It's the easiest thing in the world to scroll down the page without reading specific articles that don't interest you.
Certainly easier than clicking a link and commenting!
Nice to see the diversity of contestants on the show! Not sure if I’ll tune in as I don’t watch much reality TV, but anything that expands the hobby is welcome, IMO.
That’s not just any Tyler. That’s Tyler Clites, probably better known as Legohaulic. If you don’t know his vast body of work, definitely check him out.
@Huw said:
"It's the easiest thing in the world to scroll down the page without reading specific articles that don't interest you.
Certainly easier than clicking a link and commenting!"
Seeing as nothing else is being posted lately, it's easier to just not visit the site altogether...
@drewstew
Lego announcements don't come all the time, there are downtimes between major announcements, that's normal. Secondarily, LEGO Masters news and interviews is still 100% LEGO news, it's a show ABOUT LEGO, on PRIMETIME, it's a very major thing for the AFOL community, even if you're not personally invested in the series
@Muncher said:
" @drewstew
Lego announcements don't come all the time, there are downtimes between major announcements, that's normal. Secondarily, LEGO Masters news and interviews is still 100% LEGO news, it's a show ABOUT LEGO, on PRIMETIME, it's a very major thing for the AFOL community, even if you're not personally invested in the series
"
It's a reality show. Saying it's about AFOL is like saying The Apprentice was about legitimate business practices.
No kids?
That’s a shame. On the original UK versions the majority of the teams were parent and child, brother and sister, uncle & nephew for example. All these ‘teams’ seem to be very contrived and the whole show seems targeted at the AFOL audience.
I wonder why?
@drewtstew said:
" @Muncher said:
" @drewstew
Lego announcements don't come all the time, there are downtimes between major announcements, that's normal. Secondarily, LEGO Masters news and interviews is still 100% LEGO news, it's a show ABOUT LEGO, on PRIMETIME, it's a very major thing for the AFOL community, even if you're not personally invested in the series
"
It's a reality show. Saying it's about AFOL is like saying The Apprentice was about legitimate business practices. "
Sorry, that's total nonsense. These ARE AFOLs, regardless of the format of the show they're on. Many of them are esteemed builders from the AFOL community, while others may not be native to the same online hangouts but nonetheless are on the show because of a passion and talent for Lego building. Normally the only opportunity people have to see builders like this at work in their element is at physical conventions or LUG meetups—to be able to see high-level Lego building, as an activity, televised, is a treat that would've been practically unheard of several years ago.
I agree with those who feel there is a bit af LEGO Masters overkill here as of late. As much as I love Brickset, these articles get really annoying. All this promotion for a show that is only relevant for US viewers. Last I knew Brickset was still a UK site. And I can't remember that much fuss having been made about the UK original back in the day. Or the Australian or the German version, all of which came before the US version.
But seeing that there is nothing worth mentioning about LEGO products lately I can understand that Brickset needs something else to fill the void. It's just sad that it has to be such uninteresting fluff.
Its interesting that there's no kids. They were some of the best parts of the UK version tbh especially when they did better than the adults. Also interesting several of them are prominent Lego community figures or work for/ with Lego.
I'm interested to see how similar or different it will be to the UK version. Lego are certainly plugging it a lot more that they ever did the UK version.
Is there a way to watch it in the UK?
Team Supes! Army AND Louisville, close to my location at Ft Knox.
We made no 'fuss' about the other versions because we were not given the opportunity to do so.
LEGO/FOX have gone out of their way to give us access to the set, the judges, the host, the contestants and so on, So, of course we are going to take advantage of that and produce original and interesting content rather than just regurgitate the same old news that you read on other sites, especially given that over half of our audience is in the US.
It should be possible to watch it from anywhere using a VPN, assuming Fox make it available to stream after its aired. I'm certainly going to try.
The Clark Kent & Superman guys are more Captain America, Tony Stark. Christian will push Aaron and they’ll get some good builds but Aaron looks like he’ll get easily distracted by Christian’s brawn and that’ll be their downfall.
The East Coast Bricksters will argue New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles all day and will fracture the team. Plus Jermaine’s building skills aren’t up to snuff (based off his Flickr builds).
Tyler & Amy. Lovely couple. Amy’s music will inspire Tyler to do even more incredible builds. He’s got some nice builds, an Iron-Giant and an Alien Xenomorph that are excellent. They should win in this grouping.
Married Thespians have a good background with one being a Lego Engineering teacher but having to put ‘Easter eggs’ in their builds constantly means they’ll get offended easily if you don’t like their work. The host will have to constantly praise them. That’ll turn off the audience so they’re out.
I enjoyed reading these articles, even though I can't officially watch the series, being in the UK!
@J_Bricks : Has LEGO really been plugging it a lot? Most of the publicity I've seen for this version seems to be largely directed by the TV network (Fox) and/or the production company (Endemol Shine Group). I tend see a lot more marketing from LEGO themselves for stuff that more directly ties in with their products, like the LEGO theatrical movies or LEGO Ninjago TV series.
None of the versions are my cup of tea - but anything that brings the hobby to a wider audience and shows what Lego can be beyond purely a child’s toy is a good thing in my book.
Yeah, LEGO have been plugging it a lot... giving me two reusable shopping bags just for shopping in the store. They advertise the show. How dare they try to advertise on something they're giving away? (that's sarcasm, by the way!)
Its good Flynn and Richard are on this, but I wonder if there are any particular reasons they were chosen...
It sounds more exclusive than inclusive - choosing people just because of something Lego may support would exclude others.
Don't take that wrong please and it may be more of an assumption anyway.
I like the variety of people taking part, but I do think there was a certain something in the pairs on the UK version which felt more like a family contest. Less of the contestants in the UK version were already teachers using Lego as a profession, but more importantly, I really loved the kids and adults combos. Sure a team of 2 kids won’t be as technical as a team of 2 adults, but the creativity and playfulness coming from the kids was what mattered.
That all said though, i’m sure this version will be hilarious and if the show comes to Fox in the UK sometime, i’ll gladly watch. Currently, Fox UK just shows Walking Dead, Talking Dead, Walking Dead, NCIS and Seth McFarlane cartoons that were shown on ITV2 ages ago, and Walking Dead.
For whatever it's worth, the Australian version rated really well because it *wasn't* a typical reality TV show. There weren't any love triangles or sex scandals or contrived production drama, it was simply a competition about building Lego. It worked well, and people loved it.
I was hesitant to watch the Australian version, because I honestly thought, "I enjoy doing this. But I can't imagine it's that interesting watching someone else do it."
My mistake. It really was. The bridge-building episode was not only fascinating to watch, but the whole country was talking about it afterwards. I had conversations with random people in shops about it, it was great.
We didn't have any kids on the Australian version, IIRC. There was a grandson and his grandmother (but he was more late teens or early 20s) and a couple of first year college students, but that was about as young as the contestants got. Think about it -- there are so many laws and regulations about TV studios and working with young children, right? So, obviously, for a reality TV competition, they're going to only cast 18+.
Secondly, the people who make a big deal about "inclusivity" like it's a bad thing obviously haven't grown up in a world were they *weren't* included in things. Everyone in the world should have *someone* to look up to, even if they were born different to you. Give them a break.
Lastly, my gosh. Christian does have a TV face, doesn't he?
I appreciate these posts as a US citizen. Keep it up!!!!!!!!!
I guess I am rooting for Aaron, since he has connections to the long standing Lego fan site BZPower and the Bionicle fandom. Good to see another Bonk fan my age out there.
At least they can't be any worse than Kale Frost from Lego Masters Australia. That was a huge egotistical douche!
I can't do reality TV but I did watch the bridge episode of I think the UK version of the show and it was entertaining. If the show were a smaller budget that focused on building and LEGO rather than a cookie cutter stress inducer it could be more for me. I'm mostly interested in the behind the scenes because organization is half of collecting and I couldn't comprehend how they were getting access to so many parts in such a short amount of time.
Anyone with a passion or talent in lego should be appreciated regardless of gender, race or anything like that. At the same time you simply can't expect everything is averagely equalized since this is about art and creativity rather than a political debate.
Is anywhere described, what LEGO Masters is?
I tried to read the 1st paragraph of many news in the topic here, but didn't find the answer, apart from that "a TV show".
Good to have more background on some of the contestants as I'm only familiar with a few good builders on the other side of the pond (Boone etc ).
For whatevers worth these posts will be good to filter out some of my favourite commenters, keep it coming.
I agree that this is getting way more coverage then any other Lego Masters show, although I understand that Brickset is only covering this US broadcast as they were approached unlike the other programs.
But remember people, "only America matters" thats why Lego is pushing it, who cares about a UK, German or certainly Australian version, their populations (and therefore amount of people to get money out of) are non existent. Maybe Trump will buy the White House architecture set and put it in the White House so Lego will get lots of American supporters ! (like it didnt already have any).
Please note the sarcasm for the above comment. Although, in all seriousness if this is how much time and effort Lego spends on the American version gosh how far will they go with a Chinese version??
As for 'diversity' lets face it people - its just political correctness as usual. I dont care where a person is from, what gender, religion or sexuality they are if they make really cool MOCs.
But are we really supposed to believe that the cast 'just so happens to tick all the boxes - homosexuals, young couple, people of colour etc. although as many have pointed out, no kids. I always question this notion that someone HAS to have someone EXACTLY like them to feel 'included.' Do I need to see a white Australian FOL with spectacles in order to feel that I am 'recognised'? No. In the case of my country, arent all our citizens represented under the Australian flag or do we have to fly every other countries flag, the rainbow LGBTI flag etc. at every occasion?
Regarding women FOLs for example, absolutely I think we should certainly encourage female fans (I really like the work of Alice Finch and the Lego designer Astrid) but that doesnt mean we should necessarily start introducing gender quotas to LUGs.
At least in my experience, race, sexuality or gender have not been a problem when getting involved in the Lego community, just because a lot of AFOLs are white males doesnt mean the Lego community is a bunch of racist misogynists, thats just where a large amount of fans demographically come from. I personally have always thought it far more discriminative to 'make sure a demographic is included', I would support for example, an African-American in my LUG because they are a good person and a great builder, not to prove that the group is 'inclusive and non-discriminatory' or as a Political Correctness photo opportunity.
In the Australian Brick Masters, that kale fellow should have been removed from the show before screening. You dont act like that, certainly not to a professional person (i.e Brickman) or on national television. The only reason he was kept on so long or probably cast in the first place was so people didnt complain that Lego was 'homophobic'
@Yooha said:
"Is anywhere described, what LEGO Masters is?
I tried to read the 1st paragraph of many news in the topic here, but didn't find the answer, apart from that "a TV show"."
A competition with teams (of two people each) who are given challenges and they have to complete them by building Lego.
Honestly, beyond that, it's kind of self-explanatory.
@Brickchap : agree 100%
I hadn't read all the articles about the contestants so I didn't know no kids were included.
Very strange indeed. Sounds like a very elitist group of contestants was chosen.
On the German version it was just "average Joe" people, and most teams either included kids or were even made up solely of kids. Which seemed natural.
Not letting kids take part in a show about a kids toy is weird to say the least. Then again, I find a lot of what TLG is up to in recent times weird if not outright maddening/annoying.
Which is another one of the reasons why I have stopped buying LEGO sets completely for the time being and have instead switched to other quality manufacturers of brick-building sets. So far I have not regretted it one second - and neither has my wallet.
@AustinPowers said: "Not letting kids take part in a show about a kids toy is weird to say the least."
Because filming with children requires an entirely different set of legalities than filming with adults.
It's probably that simple.
I'll just wait when they air the LEGO Masters Netherlands which is already planned.
@Zordboy said:
"Because filming with children requires an entirely different set of legalities than filming with adults."
So what? It worked over here, what's the big deal? What's more complicated?
Oh wait, of course, it's the US, where you also have to put warning labels on everything for fear of getting sued by some greedy smeghead who thinks it's ok to demand millions for being too stupid to handle something like a hot cup of coffee at a McDonalds or not to dry pets using a microwave.
Common sense is apparently absent in some parts of the world.
Thanks Megan for the great interviews. Great set of questions too. What an interesting mix of personalities - I'm much more excited about watching adults build then kids. I'm not a reality TV fan but I am looking forward to watching this. Maybe I can learn a few new techniques!
OK it seems we're all having mixed feeling's for both good and bad so lets all just either say cool or meh and call it that. It's just a TV show guys, not something important haha.
Meh.
As I were about to post in the other thread before it got closed:
But that's the very problem, how bloody "normal" these people are - it doesn't help to tick all the "diversity" checkboxes when everyone looks like they comes from a toothpaste ad or stock photo catalog. Everyone is good looking, most are in the oh-so-advertising-friendly 20-to-40 bracket, most are active on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, they all have successful careers, basically they're all representatives of today's "perfect is the new average" culture.
Admins - Please don't resort to censorship every time a debate gets slightly heated, and don't pretend to be so innocent when it does. You know perfectly well you're poking a hornet's nest when you insists on dragging in identity politics on a non-political site, don't act so shocked/surprised when it blows up in your face.
To all the people complaining about the show being a reality show or not really about Lego ect, just watch it, you will be surprised. And it is Lego news, just as much as the Toy Show posts are Lego news even when they don't have much details like Nuremberg last week, as Huw said, just scroll on past, not ones forcing you to read everything!
Australian Lego fan site https://jaysbrickblog.com/ covered details of the show here including after with contestants, not as much detail as I don't think anyone was given access to the show while it was shooting.
I do not like reality shows at all, am no good at MOCing myself but still found the UK 2 seasons interesting and the Australia version that was on last year was fantastic. It wasn't some trashy reality show with fake drama, it was just good wholesome viewing watching amazing builds, interesting challenges and really nice people being really nice to each other. I haven't seen the German version but believe it was also a success. This is definitely a show you can watch as a family with members of all ages.
Personally looking forward to it, If the exploding build challenge is as good as the AUS version, that alone will be worth watching lol!!
@axeleng: People being diverse isn't "identity politics", it's real life. I too am sick and tired of any discussion of community diversity or accessibility getting shouted down by the same few members who remain insistent that any gesture toward diverse representation or encouraging new perspectives in the community is somehow a bad thing. Representing the broad range of Lego builders, their backgrounds, their perspectives, and their lifestyles isn't a matter of being"politically correct"—it's a matter of actually realistically portraying how diverse the AFOL community is, rather than trying to boil it down to some homogenous average or expectation of what Lego builders are "supposed" to look or act like.
For all the whining about how this diversity is somehow false or manufactured, I've not seen one person bring up any actual evidence or argument as to why the range of contestants shouldn't look like they do. There seems to be an ingrained assumption that because these contestants speak honestly to their different backgrounds and perspectives that they weren't being judged honestly on their building talent and skill. I don't know why, because there is no shortage of great builders out there who come from all walks of life.
I don't like this direction Lego is going.