LEGO Masters week 5 exit interview
Posted by MeganL,
Normally exit interviews are published on the Monday before a new episode, but this week your intrepid reporter is literally in the middle of a cross-country move (greetings from Omaha, Nebraska, on the way to Chicagoland), so things got delayed by a day.
The last episode was two weeks ago and there's a new episode tonight. As always, if you're interested in hearing from the team that was eliminated from the last episode or would like to see the final builds, read on.
This week's challenge was "One Hanging Brick", where teams had to create a build based on one Technic brick suspended from the ceiling. Extra enticement was provided with the Golden Brick up for grabs again.
With their inventive build of the kingdom of gnomes and butterflies, Mark and Steven took the win and the golden brick.
Sadly, one team had to leave, and this week it was Randall and Syreeta. Their hot air balloon was good, but the judges felt it didn't have enough of a story.
Why did you decide to apply for LEGO Masters?
Syreeta: We were thinking about it last year, but this year provided new opportunities so when those opportunities arose, I called Randall and was like, “Alright man, it's time.”. So we just made it happen, And we're really grateful that we made it.
Randall: I was the one that got her into it! We actually had goals that we wrote down of getting further into this community. I think some of my experience as an AFOL has very much been insular and just working by myself, and so this provided an opportunity to share in the process of getting on the show with Syreeta.
What are your art and design inspirations for your builds?
Syreeta: Definitely, music! In thinking about what's missing in the LEGO repertoire and how we can contribute to it plus just random stuff that Randall and I happen to be talking about. Things like rap lyrics and what's in the space.
Randall: Syreeta is a hip hop archivist in her day job, so that inspires the things that we do outside of this competition. So finding ways to insert that in the builds that we created and have fun with it was a good challenge on top of having to build for scale. How do you craft these stories in a way that can be read at a scale of that size, and still get across the message.
You were billed as “the hip hop builders”. What details were in your builds that weren’t caught on camera?
Randall: In the hero shot build, we were coming up with names for the characters and I couldn't think of anything. Syreeta was like, ‘let's just pick Andre for the wizard.’ What they didn’t capture in that one was we also named the centaur Camille, and the dust that we had was purple, and all of that stuff adds up to represent the Prince world. So you see where I was going – that was a deep, deep edit, and all of it didn't make it to the show but I thought we'd have some fun with it.
Syreeta: The cute bees that we had in the back of the hat was like a triple entendre: Beyonce. Little Kim, Then some other folks.
Randall: And she’s from Queens: Queensbridge. That was the third entendre.
You, like several teams, have a signature look. How much of each team's look is their own, and how much is made up for you by stylists?
Syreeta: Randall and I like our look because this is how we look in the world every day. Hair is important to me. Just trying to figure out what that looked like during competition was rough. I was struggling but I used the look I have on right now, We were grateful when we met the stylist team that we got okayed for I think pretty much all of our looks. This is just representative of how we choose to show up in the world. I've done business meetings with millionaires in this look and I've been to LEGO Masters with these looks so I'm gonna keep going with it..
Randall: Basically everything's from the back of our closet. Like, Syreeta said, her hair was amazing. I'm looking forward to the future when I see something like Syreeta’s hair on a minifig.
How did you decide to divide the labor in the challenges?
Randall: So you might have seen, there was a pre-boot Randall and there was a post-boot Randall. And it was a post-boot version that literally had to sit down and have Syreeta in the driver's seat. By that point, we had decided to split the labor up. She finished the top and I finished the bottom. I think what got away from us in that particular challenge was the scale of it all. Spheres are challenging to build by themselves, but then having two people build it can get away from you really fast, given the time constraints. So I had to give it up to let her do what she thought was best and the same went for me. Then we literally met in the middle, as you saw, the seam in the balloon.
Were there any particular moments in the show that didn't get captured on camera that you want to talk about?
Syreeta: I'm trying to remember what episode it was - it might have been the hero shot. I was just getting really frustrated by the end of it. I was definitely frustrated on camera, which you can see, but I think it was that episode that really led to us cementing our team: the output of all of the communication. We went from communicating on a level three, and after the hero shot we were like, ‘let's just get everything out the way, let's just be really clear, really intentional with each other.’ So, behind the scenes I was swallowing what I had to actually say, because I had to ensure that my partner was still represented in the highest light possible. So that's something that didn't go on screen. One thing I am grateful for, even from that moment, is Randall came back and he said, ‘so I'm not going to have you looking crazy on TV,’ and I was like, ‘Randall, we will go to the ends of the earth together, my brother.’
Randall: Ditto for me too. Just making sure that we were swallowing words at that moment. And when I came back and took the wall down, that was immediately after we decided to move forward and do what we had to. That build specifically was more representative of our lack of communication.
In terms of other teams that we connected with, I would definitely say Maria and Phillip. We built next to them in the hero shot and they had the cabaret girl - I was watching them build as I was building, quite honestly. It started to look really good and it was one of the best builds that I thought was there for that challenge. Tim and Zach were our buddies and they built on the other side of us, and so in that challenge specifically we had some banter back and forth between us.
Your build for the earthquake challenge was great. How did that build come together for you?
Syreeta: My introduction into LEGO was actually to the architectural sets. My dad was an architect. So with this challenge, I was like “Listen. Alright, Let me tell you what we'd have to do.” But I kind of didn't have to tell him because I knew he had the skill set, I knew he was ready and I knew it was a great opportune time for us to show ourselves and our skills in this light. I told him, “As long as you want to ensure that it does not fall, the story is on me.” Randall did exactly what I had expected him to do and I think together we really got that to shine with that.
Randall: That make and shake challenge was my favorite one. I think the way I can sum it up is when you see me in the episode with my arms out. But the reason why my arms are out like that, that was my body's natural reaction to just say like, “Finally!”, like something worked out. Up to that point because I think the previous two challenges I thought the parade build was okay and I was not a fan of the hero shot. To have that build specifically marry our shared love of architecture and hip hop and have a story that played into the shaking and have it go to level 10 I was like “Alright!”, I thought we were gonna continue to build upon that and so I was excited for that.
Out of the challenges that you participated in, which of your builds was the most personal to you?
Syreeta: Definitely the parade for me. It was something that I was already familiar with. When we got the centaur in the hero shot, I was like, “What is happening? This is way too much!” Parades, I'm familiar with, especially having grown up in New York City. But actually it was a reminder of why I said yes to the competition to work with Randall in this new way. It was a reminder of the things that I love and also seeing the things that I love in a new way. We had 3 million bricks to participate with. I don't personally have the plethora that we were given and so it was just really great to see different types of bricks, different types of other pieces that I can participate with that add up. Like the concrete brick wall that we had on the side of the floor. That's exactly like New York City to do little things like that. That is the reason why the parade was so personal to me.
Randall: I'd say the Make and Shake for me, because not only was that architecture and hip hop, that was math. Just music in general - how we tied it to records like, I'm a crate digger. So, I love finding vinyl of multiple genres and so I was able to lean in to like just building for that one. That really set me free in a way that I knew, I knew how to direct at that point, especially coming off the Hero shot challenge when we were struggling to communicate. And so once it got to the point where we started meeting each other in the build, we improved. And so I think that's the reason why the Make and Shake challenge was probably my favorite, and I was able to put most of myself in it.
Each challenge takes your creative attention in a completely different direction. How was that process for you as an artist, to constantly be shooting for a moving target?
Syreeta: For me I think for the work that I've been doing, it was easy. On one day we're working on one project, a failed project because I thought we might want to do a podcast today, or a book the next day etc, etc. So, I was not as attached to what the end result will look like in a particular way. I was thinking “We have eight hours, we need to deliver something by eight hours.” I was more connected to that versus thinking of all the little details that could have been in there. I was focused on what do we need to have, what is the bare minimum that we need to have, just to be able to predict it. Anything, as long as we can present, we have moved on, in some capacity. So I think it really got me thinking about that in a particular way.
Randall: You might have seen in the episode, it's funny how they cut it, but where Natalie said, “We just tried to get to the finish line” and Jamie's like “Well, we are too far in to the competition to be just crossing the finish line”, and then it cut to me like looking at Syreeta. We struggled with that because she's very task oriented, sometimes I felt at the expense of the entire composition. And so that type of prioritization happened a lot.
Speaking to the moving target question, that was task oriented. All right we got to build it to blow up. So starting there, and then next moving to the opposite of that which is building strong. To subvert the way you were building prior to that, that didn't throw me off that much. I'm used to working in different projects and context switching outside of this competition. You're just dipping into different pockets of your knowledge. All of these things are complementary; they're not opposed to each other because even in the hero shot, you're building in certain spots to be strong to contrast with the places that you want to blow up. So it didn't throw me off. In the hanging brick, I used the same technique that I did in the make and shake challenge to connect the hanging bridge all the way down to the basket. So, these things are additive, over time, and that's the way I looked at it and that's why it didn’t throw me off.
Syreeta: I think details are important and necessary and that's why I'm grateful that Randall was brilliant at what he is brilliant at and I'm great at what I do. You know, cuz there needs to be a project manager on the team! At the end of the day we can speak about the details until we’re blue in the face, literally, but when that clock strikes… when Will is like, “Hey, you got five minutes left!” The reality is you need to have something to show and it has to be good so it's really just figuring out what that balance looks like.
If you could go back to your pre LEGO Masters selves, what advice would you give yourself for the show?
Syreeta: I stayed in my lane, pre LEGO Masters. There were things that I was definitely interested in, but I was just gonna be over here versus being as integrated with the LEGO catalog that I became after LEGO Masters. So yeah, I would just play and I would have done more free builds, my own creations, outside of needing technology prior to the competition.
Randall: I think I would have done more competitions. Like a convention build or any of the online build challenges. Just being able to think about changing context for different things and have different inputs and stimuli, to be able to build with some prompts.
What’s next for you for your LEGO builds?
Syreeta: When I think about what has been possible, not just with the show but the work that we've been doing since, what’s most incredible is the space to do both inspired and my own builds. What we've been doing is smaller things, coasters, trains, and such. But they were significantly different from my scope of work in regards to what was possible. I'm really excited to really test all the skills and implement a lot of the skills that I've learned. My level of Technic skills prior to the show was significantly lower than what the possibilities are now. So even thinking about those things, thinking about the math, I’m thinking we could have done the hot air balloon significantly differently. If I had known about that from the beginning, so I'm really excited to implement the things that I've learned, the things that I have been learning since we've been home, etc.l in all types of builds.
Randall: This was a bootcamp of sorts. For me, but definitely for Syreeta as well. I did learn some things as well because there's a way that I build that is different than what seems to be a certain profile of success on the show. So, learning, learning how to sculpt. I think one of the things that was important that I learned on this show was the storytelling. I was telling a few LEGO Masters this past weekend that I've never displayed at a convention before. I’ve never competed in Iron Builder or any MOC Olympics from way back. Putting myself in positions like that, to compete and get better with speed and have a better sense of what people crowd around and appreciate that's something that I think I want to improve on.
The rest of the final builds are below:
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20 comments on this article
First comment! Woohoo!
They handed out the golden brick again? I missed most of the judging because my internet went out for about five minutes. One moment they’re about to head to judging, and (after a few minutes of freaking out) the next moment they’re announcing who got eliminated. I had one other show recording that was similarly affected. Funny thing is, last season I had one episode that recorded I completely, I think because they delayed the start of the episode in broadcast, but it didn’t get updated to my channel guide.
Anyways, good to hear that people are reigning in their tempers this year. Last year there were a few moments when I half-expected someone to get punched in the face, which is not a good look for the hobby. I was kinda hoping that the producers were editing around that sort of thing this season, but if they’re not given the opportunity to make that choice, so much the better.
Haven't watched this season, since we cut the cable cord (and bill). So, thanks to Brickset for these recaps :) It would have been a toss-up for me picking between the hot air balloon and the giant squid attacking the whale, since that whale is so squared off and kind of boring for me.
@LegoSolo77 said:
"Haven't watched this season, since we cut the cable cord (and bill). So, thanks to Brickset for these recaps."
Episodes are broadcast over the air on local Fox stations, if you have a regular tv. We use a $35 digital antenna to watch them live on Tuesdays. Then sometimes we watch them via wall projector later in the week, as episodes are also available to stream on Hulu starting Wednesdays!
I noticed a lot of attention for the US version of this show.
Maybe it would have been nice to give a mention to the passing of one the winners of season one in the Dutch / Belgian vrsion? Just asking.
@LegoSolo77:
I mean, to add to what @ForestMenOfEndor said, Fox also streams it on their website, and probably via app as well. It’s a broadcast tv series, not premium cable. If you want to watch it bad enough to try to keep up with it via exit interviews, there are multiple free, and perfectly legal, ways to do so that don’t require a cable subscription.
I'd like see when other countries broadcast seasons... or get articles on them...
How many different versions of LEGO Masters are there? By that I mean in how many countries?
@blogzilly:
Wow. The number has jumped, quite a bit. I count 13 shows open to contestants from, and broadcast in, 14 countries.
The original series is from the UK, with seasons airing in ‘17 and ‘18, plus a Christmas special...and no word if they ever plan to make more. The longest running version is Australia, with seasons in ‘19, ‘20, and ‘21, and renewal for two additional seasons. The most publicized is obviously the US, which just entered the back half of the second season.
Other series include Germany (S1 in ‘18, S2 in production) and the only multi-nation series from Netherlands/Belgium (S1 and a stand-alone Christmas special in ‘20, S2 in ‘21). France, Sweden, and Poland had shows launch last year. Denmark and Norway had shows launch this year. Chile is getting a show next year, and Spain is getting one...someday. Colombia is supposedly also getting a series, but I don’t see any mention beyond that it’s included in an incomplete list of nations that have licensed the series.
Just finished watching S2.6, and there’s a moment in there that had me laughing so hard I had a coughing fit. But it ended on a really good message.
@Snaz:
It was only a 1-week hiatus, as the previous so aired two weeks ago. Yeah, sounds weird when you say it, but there’s a standard week gap between every episode. The only thing I can think of is that last week was Shark Week, but I’ve never noticed broadcast networks scheduling around that. However, it looks like they’re skipping at least one week for the Olympics. Looking at the next two weeks, I see 2.6 repeating Thursday, 2.1 on Saturday, 2.2 during its regular Tuesday time slot, and 2.3 and 2.4 airing back-to-back next week Thursday. My channel guide normally only runs two weeks out, so I can’t see what’s scheduled two weeks from today just yet.
@Snaz said:
"Any idea why it has been on a two-week hiatus?
"
Last week Fox aired the MLB All Star Game.
Haven’t seen ep 2.6 yet, but through 5 episodes, season 2 has been a much better produced show than season 1. More time spent showing the building process and final builds, less time devoted to Will Arnett jokes so that he’s the comic relief and not the main attraction, no silly special guests, and more interesting building challenges that involve structural/design and aesthetic challenges. Hope the rest of the episodes continue to strike this better balance.
I didn’t know you were in Omaha! I live in Lincoln.
You are moving at the worst possible time. Our LUG is hosting Nebraska Brick Days this coming weekend in Council Bluffs.
In other news, thanks for the articles. Always neat to see the responses.
When was the show recorded? It looked strange in today's episode for the first build, when the contestants seems to to be haven't seen that technic set (not sure if the one shown is a smaller version) before ......
@legoapprentice:
I guess you missed Jennifer Love Hewitt’s in-character cameo?
@Sethro3:
I read it as passing through Omaha from Parts Westward (probably Pacific NW, if Omaha is on the way to Chicago).
@PurpleDave said:
@Sethro3:
I read it as passing through Omaha from Parts Westward (probably Pacific NW, if Omaha is on the way to Chicago).]]
That could be. I didn't think about that. Likely along I-80.
still far too much time wasted on bad jokes and silly pre-recorded garbage. apparently that's what sells on network TV unfortunately. give me more time on the builds and maybe spend some time highlighting unique and innovative techniques. Its like the backstory mini-docs on "reality" tv shows - no one cares, just give us more content.
the challenges have been a mixed bag so far to me. I like the first one (the parade float), and the floating brick was also very cool. Still too much focus on "destruction" challenges so far, with the hero shot and earthquake having already happened, and now Demolition Derby (I haven't watched yet). That's half the challenges dedicated to something that is a fringe part of the hobby - destroying builds. I realize that probably sells better to the non-hardcore LEGO fan demographic, but Hopefully that has run it's course for the season. On the plus side, both the hanging brick and the wearables were creative additions. Season 1 only had 2 destruction challenges but on the downside I thought they played the "hold up, now you have to completely change your build halfway through" card too many times (3). Hopefully we see less of that this go around (none so far)
team-wise, no really big surprises yet with eliminations. Syreeta and Randall and the two moms are definitely the weakest groups left, and the previous eliminations didn't cost us a team with winning potential either.
the brother/sister team, Dave/Richard, and Zach/Wayne seem to be the top 3 to me, with the other 2 sets of brothers and the girls with the bright hair being in the next tier, leaving the aforementioned moms and the married couple as the weakest links left.
this season seems far more wide open to me than season 1, where a top 2 became pretty clear right from the start, even with the surprise 3rd place team providing some drama along the way. In season 2 I could see any of those top 5-6 teams winning it all.
@kslin88 said:
"
When was the show recorded? It looked strange in today's episode for the first build, when the contestants seems to to be haven't seen that technic set (not sure if the one shown is a smaller version) before ......
"
I am also super confused by that. According to this article - https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/foxs-game-show-lego-masters-moving-season-2-to-atlanta/YTZUNRV75ZBLXHPVYGVJENNCXY/ - filming on Season 2 began March 15, 2021. 42115 Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 was released on June 1, 2020. Surely ONE of these LEGO Masters had built the set already? Maybe it was a screener question in the interview process. "Have you ever heard of the Sian? No? Really? Ok, you're in. And someone get marketing on the phone. They have some explaining to do."
@Sethro3 :
I just ran across another “further off the beaten path” shirt design. In Anchorage, every tourist shop had at least one shirt that said, “Divide Alaska in half and make Texas the third largest state.” And in Michigan’s UP, it was, “The Seney Stretch, like driving I-80 through Nebraska, but twice as long.”
@ForestMenOfEndor :
I would have laughed my ass off if one of the contestants asked for a chair and a footstool before saying, “My partner bought this set, and has eidetic memory.” As it is, the eventual result was almost as funny...
@LegoSolo77 said:
"Haven't watched this season, since we cut the cable cord (and bill). So, thanks to Brickset for these recaps :) It would have been a toss-up for me picking between the hot air balloon and the giant squid attacking the whale, since that whale is so squared off and kind of boring for me."
locast costs $5 a month and broadcasts all the local stations and a few others. well worth it to watch local stuff.