LEGO Masters week 4 exit interview
Posted by MeganL,
After a week of being pre-empted by a baseball playoff game, LEGO Masters was back last week for the fourth episode (although in the U.S., it was delayed by almost an hour because of another baseball game). Canadian viewers got to see the episode a week early.
Although a team was eliminated last week, the mid-season twist was the introduction of a new team at the end of the third episode. So ten teams are still in the competition. After the break, we'll meet the team that went home, and as always, show all the builds from the week.
This week, the build challenge was to build a LEGO tree house - in an actual tree! No connection points were provided, so teams had to figure out a way to make their build sturdy and be eye-catching enough for the judges.
There were a lot of great entries, and in an interesting choice, Nick and Stacey won for their tree house build of a LEGO brick.
For those interested, the new team of Ethan and Dom took the runner-up place. Emily and Liam chose not to use their golden brick (they didn't need to, thanks to their adorable panda tree house),
The team that had to go home this week was Michelle and Christine (who goes by Tacos).
What details of your builds that you're particularly proud of that weren’t shown?
Tacos: I'm still a little crushed about the first episode. I feel like we weren't in that first episode. We had an entire dance room. Our families were featured. We had a rotating dance floor. We used light bricks…..
Michelle: Yes we did. And they didn't show it. For me it was the Riviera Maya build. Because it was a huge build, and we were building at the speed of light, and it was featured for like five seconds. There were so many stories around it. That one for me is the one that I would have loved to see more of.
Tacos: With the special effects on that I noticed that they weren’t motorising anything. Our stuff was actually motorised. We had pterodactyls is spinning at the same time. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it wasn’t shown.
What was the most challenging about building on the set?
Michelle: For me, it's the amount of eyes on you. It's very overwhelming, especially because you try to bottle everything. You try to not show anything because they're on to you. They're listening. They're looking. So it is very overwhelming, thinking that you can't mess up, and you have to do amazing all the time, which is impossible. We all have our processes as artists, so we have ups and downs. But the camera just loves being there at the worst time. So I think it would be that for me. Because I have my way of processing stress. A lot of it is just stepping back and calming myself down and coming back. It’s hard when you don't have that
Tacos: With me, I feel like I don't speak English because I don't understand the rules. Sometimes the themes are a bit ambiguous. So we're like, “Wait, what are we supposed to do?” So there's a lot of questioning. So that that would have to be part of it.
MIchelle: Especially because they give you the briefing. And then that's it.
Tacos: And then we what are we supposed to do? What's the theme again? And that Clockasaurus is just running. So you're wasting time asking questions again. Like Wait, what are we supposed to do? What are the dimensions again? What's the rules again? So that was probably my largest frustration.
What is your favourite memory from being on the show?
Michelle: The hype up that we used to do before each episode, I still get goosebumps when I think about it. And whenever we are together just the cast members, it just takes me back to that moment. It doesn't matter if it is a competition because of the bond between us. It just makes me very grateful for all of that.
Tacos: For me is as soon as the builds are done. It's almost like a woman in labour. That’s graphic, but it’s like she pushes, she pushes, then that release, like ahhhh. We may go home, we may not, but at least it's done. It's done.
Your build on Episode Three was memorable. How did you manage such a great representation for the Day of the Dead?
Tacos: Michelle, she's an artist. In order to build anything you do some kind of scale drawing right away. She just started measuring. She doesn't realise how smart she is.
Michelle: I wanted to have very nice proportions for the build. I know that skulls are something really creepy and scary. We talked about before starting it, because Tacos is Dominican, and they don't celebrate that. She was like “This is kind of scary.”. So she was scared of going through with this idea, but she believed in me, she just supported me, and we decided to blend it together with her grandma. So that's why we call her Teva Lita. They didn't feature that on the show, but we actually named her Teva Lita for her grandmother. I was really trying to express my culture and show to all of America that Day of the Dead is an amazing celebration and even though skulls are kind of scary, our culture is beautiful. It makes me very proud of my culture and all that Mexico is about. It's about folklore, colours, and celebrating our ancestors, which is something very important for us a family. So that build was very special.
Tacos: I'm more impressed by the contrast of colours compared to everyone else.
MIchelle: One of the inspirations for it was when Amy gave us the briefing of the challenge. She said, “We want to see movement.”. So the first thing that we thought is that those limbs, they need to move, and what better to use than Technic as skeleton, Technic is the strongest. So I think it all came together.
In the fourth episode, you struggled with some creativity block. We’ve all been there. What did you learn from your experience that might help others?
Michelle: Don’t think of registered brands [laughs]. That was our problem. We kept coming up with ideas that couldn’t make it on the show.
Tacos: Also, although we’re both Hispanic, she’s Mexican, I’m Dominican. Something as simple as being on the same wavelength of what fairy tales can be different. I’m Americanised, she is not Americanised. So, her idea of fairy tales is different from my idea of fairy tales. Even though we have a similar background, even though we were raised together, we still don’t have the same understanding of something that’s fantasy. It may be interpreted completely differently.
Michelle: Exactly, that’s very well put.
During Episode Four, Emily came over to you while you were struggling. What did she say that got you back into the challenge emotionally?
Michelle: Just the fact that she took time out of her build to come and check out how we were doing, and to express words of support. That means a lot because in that time you're away from your family. I'm a mom and this is the first time in nine years that I'm away from my kids. I'm the primary caretaker of my boys. So I've never ever been away from them until this experience. It came together in that moment, all the pressure. We are away for our families, but we are a family all together. It was really nice to have that kind of love and support from everyone there.
Tacos: She was the ultimate mom. She's such a sweetheart. And it's not just on screen. It's genuine. You know, she still reaches out to us. We have a group chat every day. But I'm glad they showed that because America needs to see this woman and know how awesome she is.
What would you say the high point was for you being on LEGO Masters?
Tacos: Meeting Michelle. And my family has grown. They're not blood. But seriously, I could walk away from the LEGO community, and I feel like I have gained a lot more. I feel like I already have my golden brick. You know what I mean? That's it.
Michelle: I believe that the bond that we all made was pretty awesome. Also, Jamie came up to our table and he was dancing (on episode three). And then he said when we were building that Teva Lita “Wow, this is like the best use of Technic I've seen here.” I really wanted then to show that (on the show); they didn't. It doesn't matter. It's here (tapping chest). So that's my highlight of the show. And the family that we built.
At the end of the episode, Brickmaster Amy told you that you're going to be an inspiration to lots of girls. What did it mean to hear that?
Michelle: I was very proud of myself. I felt like I achieved something very big, by making it that far in. Honestly, the best of all is that I received a call from my family after it all finished. My mom was crying my nieces were crying, and they were all saying “I'm so proud of you. You are so graceful. You left with a big smile.” I was like, oh my god, I made my mom proud. 36 years old and that's still awesome to feel.
Tacos: I work with kids every day, so they didn't get to see the episode because the episode was delayed (due to a baseball game). But I do it for them. When Brickmaster Amy said that it only confirms the work that we did. I believe that we can definitely inspire. I really do hope that we're able to reach out mostly to the Hispanic Latino population demographic.
How did you get into the LEGO hobby?
Tacos: I did not play with LEGO at all. I was only gifted dolls as a kid. I built houses out of cereal boxes, Quaker oatmeal containers, even milk cartons. I tried building cities out of that. City building was always with me, but I didn’t actually play with LEGO until after college. I used to be a pre-K teacher, went back to school for engineering. There, everything I designed on Revit, which is like AutoCAD on steroids, was very whimsical or childlike. I still wanted to work with children, but I didn’t understand how to merge both those concentrations until I landed a job teaching engineering with LEGO. That’s what I do now.
Michelle: For me, I’ve always been a tomboy [laughs]. I’ve always been not so much into dolls and stuff. I was very into LEGO. When I started looking for a career, I really wanted to become a toy designer. So, I went into industrial design. I’m an industrial designer. My goal was to work for a toy company. When they opened LEGO in Mexico, I was very excited about that. LEGO is a very awesome toy to discover as an industrial designer because it has so much engineering in it. You can do so much with it, so much creativity. I’ve always been into building and puzzles and stuff like that.
After finishing college, I didn’t get the job and my career path kind of changed. I started teaching. So, I just pivoted and then went back when my kids were young. I spent a lot of time at home, so I started buying LEGO sets. Now that my kids are nine and six, I play LEGO with them. That’s an activity that I can share with them. We can all share the same passion together.
What advice do you have for adults just getting into LEGO?
Michelle: Use other designers and builders as an inspiration, but never get discouraged. We all start somewhere. Don’t get discouraged by looking at the Master Builders. It doesn’t matter. Anything you build is amazing because it came out of you. Keep building, don’t get discouraged. Just get inspired, keep building.
Tacos: Don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s a toy designed for kids, it’s only plastic. Try not to let the tiny brick overpower you. Just start off very basic, it doesn’t matter. It’s just a kids’ toy.
How does building at home compare to building on LEGO Masters?
Tacos: It makes me want to up my game with storage systems and variety. You have over 3,300 pieces, I think. I have a variety, but I don’t think its as vast as that. In the past, I built with what I have. I didn’t buy off of Bricklink. Now, I find myself purchasing off of Bricklink. I just started using Studio. My MOCs are getting larger.
Michelle: It was challenging because I don’t have too many pieces. I’m used to getting extra creative with the usage part. It was overwhelming to see that I had that amount of bricks. We were just dumping stuff in the bins. I’m not used to building with a huge amount of LEGO, so it was overwhelming. The first episode, I think, was the worst one. You don’t know where anything is, you don’t know what’s going on, it’s the first challenge. As you go on, you get the hang of everything and you better understand that pieces’ placement and everything. But still, the fact that you have so little time. As you’ve all seen in episode four, if you don’t have the idea right away, the clock is running. Your time is limited. It keeps snowballing. Overwhelming, I would say.
Also, the pieces that you’re used to using are not there. It’s weird, you would think they have certain pieces, but they don’t. You have to adapt and you have to overcome quick.
What are you taking away from this whole experience?
Tacos: We made it to LEGO Masters! That’s it. Everyone and their dog applied or was sought out. It was like, really? We made it?
Michelle: We are part of LEGO Masters history. No one can take that away from us. It doesn’t matter what people think or what people comment. We were part of LEGO Masters. We will forever be related to the brand.
Tacos: That and being able to call friends and people from previous seasons and other countries. To be able to have that friendship. Yeah, we get to see each other on social media. But, once they realise that we went through the same experience, it’s just stronger relationships. You know, what an opportunity.
This week's builds:
Many thanks to our friends at True North Bricks for their collaboration on this interview.
All photo credits: FOX
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9 comments on this article
I don’t watch the show, so what was the deal with adding a new team mid-season? That’s a no-no in competition shows.
@WesterBricks said:
"I don’t watch the show, so what was the deal with adding a new team mid-season? That’s a no-no in competition shows."
You should watch the show then lol.
@westerbricks @monkyby87
I wouldn't bother watching. The entire show is turning into any other Reality TV show and is no longer a real competition. All they want is drama over building and design. Sad change and more gimmick than substance really.
I was shocked ...SHOCKED that this team went home. Of the two builds they picked for the bottom two, I figured the other one was the obvious choice to go home. They had two very flat levels, a lot of brown and tan, and it was generally uninspired and not eye catching.
There must have been something about it that was great that we didn't get to see and some failure of Tacos and Michelle's build that we didn't get explained. The mushroom houses were cute, it was colorful, and looked great from a distance.
...so WTF was up with that?
You quote Tacos as saying "3,300 pieces", I think that's meant to be 3,300,000
@PDelahanty said:
"I was shocked ...SHOCKED that this team went home. Of the two builds they picked for the bottom two, I figured the other one was the obvious choice to go home. They had two very flat levels, a lot of brown and tan, and it was generally uninspired and not eye catching.
There must have been something about it that was great that we didn't get to see and some failure of Tacos and Michelle's build that we didn't get explained. The mushroom houses were cute, it was colorful, and looked great from a distance.
...so WTF was up with that?"
I agree for sure. Especially with them doing it in less time because of the stress. It was really creative and colorful. I thought for sure they’d stay around at least one more round.
I was impressed with how much Tacos & Michelle did accomplish with their last build considering they had a slow start. I liked their fairy idea and their colors made it stand out in the tree. I really liked their bull riding day of the dead build, she was great.
I think most of the builders are pretty good this season and I have enjoyed seeing what each group has presented for each challenge so far.
@blok_bot said:
"You quote Tacos as saying "3,300 pieces", I think that's meant to be 3,300,000"
I read it as "3,300 different kinds of pieces".
My favorite build was the brothers' PK Clubhouse. I thought it was very eye-catching, and I liked how they had the different parts with different themes for each of their siblings.
@kkoster79 said:
" @westerbricks @monkyby87
I wouldn't bother watching. The entire show is turning into any other Reality TV show and is no longer a real competition. All they want is drama over building and design. Sad change and more gimmick than substance really."
That’s kind of always what it was though since it’s a television program.