Tai Freligh interviews the runners up of LEGO Masters season two…
Hosted by actor and producer Will Arnett, season two of LEGO Masters airs every Tuesday (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, bringing imagination, design and creativity to life when teams of LEGO enthusiasts go head-to-head, with infinite possibilities and an unlimited supply of LEGO bricks. Once again, teams of two will compete against each other in even more ambitious brick-building challenges – including an earthquake tower challenge, a demolition derby, a LEGO fashion show and more – to be crowned the country’s most talented amateur LEGO builders. Each week, Flickering Myth’s Tai Freligh chatted with the eliminated contestants. This final week Tai talks with Caleb and Jacob, the runners up, about their time on the show, lessons learned and more about the build that ended their time on the show.
What was your audition process like?
Caleb: It was a lot! I remember we got taken on board pretty early on in the casting process, so it was actually many months of not knowing if we were close to making it on the show or if we would simply wake up and never hear from the show again! It was difficult to gauge how ’successful’ we were at any point in the casting process, but hey, we obviously must have done something right!
Jacob: The audition experience was quite a new experience. It’s like a job interview, but a lot more fun! What job interview involves building with LEGO? There were still some intense parts to the process, but in the end it was a very great process. The casting team was phenomenal!
Talk about your time on the show and what it was like?
Caleb: Being on the show was a dream come true. For me, it was so many of my favorite things all under the same roof. I love LEGO, but I also studio video production in college, so it was absolutely incredible to see a TV production of this scale in person! Coming on set was incredibly energizing and I think the dorky smile that constantly adorns my face during the show proves that I really was having a good time.
Jacob: I never thought I’d be on a TV show. The whole experience was something I never expected to happen! Each day was full of surprises, the behind the scenes of production was really interesting to see as well. The wonderful cast and crew made the experience even more amazing. The days were quite busy and Caleb and I were also full time students during filming, which made them busier. They were long days filled with fun memories and great people.
Congratulations on being runners-up! Are you disappointed or do you feel like getting this far is a major accomplishment?
Caleb: Jacob and I never imagined making it to the finale. We’re so incredibly proud of each other and what we accomplished.
Jacob: Getting on the show was a great accomplishment already, and to make it through all the episodes was icing on the cake! We never expected to make it this far especially after seeing all the amazing talent from the other teams.
What do you think was the difference in the final build that didn’t quite get you to the win?
Caleb: It’s so hard to say, especially since the judging was based more on our entire portfolio of work rather than that one final build. I don’t think we necessarily had the third place finale build, but I’d agree that we probably had a third place body of work altogether. I think Jacob and I delivered the most unique and ambitious build in the room, but I wish we still could have incorporated lights and motion better.
Jacob: Caleb and I had decided to be risk takers in our builds from early on in the competition. This really made us quite a volatile team in placements throughout. Some risks pay off, others don’t. We took a risk in the final build and some parts didn’t come out like we had envisioned.
What did you learn from the judges over the course of the season?
Caleb: The judges really unleashed a side of us I don’t think my brother and I knew we had. I loved how they encouraged us to dream big and bring our crazy ideas to life. You could tell that they really wanted us to have fun with every build we made. It sounds absurd, but in so much of my personal work, I think I neglect that a bit, favoring accuracy, or bold techniques instead. On LEGO Masters, Jacob and I tried to always embrace crazy storytelling and hilarious details.
Jacob: Caleb and I have often based our LEGO creations on real life places or items. We’re replica builders. The Brickmasters pushed us outside this comfort zone and got us to explore the wacky and unbelievable. They encouraged us to incorporate storytelling into the builds, which is something often lost in a still replica build.
Did you learn from the other contestants and do you plan on keeping in touch with them?
Caleb: A hundred times yes! Getting to know all these other incredible builders was the greatest joy of my time on LEGO Masters. We are all still in touch every day, with a very active 24 person group chat! They taught Jacob and I to have faith in our abilities and there were so many people who believed in us before we ever believed in ourselves. It was such a supportive group. Off camera we weren’t secretly plotting our next move, but openly sharing techniques, geeking out over the latest LEGO kits being released, and just all around having a good time. We all went through this crazy experience together and it really brought it all so close together.
Jacob: The whole cast was an amazing group to be with during filming, and they’re still that amazing group! We have our 24 member group chat for the cast that is incredibly active and supportive!
What’s next for you?
Caleb: We didn’t make it out with the title of LEGO Masters, but, we are the Castle Bros now, so you’ll definitely be seeing more castles from us! I’ve taken my love of LEGO and video and started up a YouTube channel to share my experiences on the show and talk about all things LEGO! It’s been such a wild journey so far with so many wonderful surprises, and I’m excited to see what doors my LEGO Masters experience continues to open.
Jacob: There’s still a lot to figure out for the journey ahead. I’ll be moving to Ohio shortly for my job, which will severely impact my ability to access the LEGO collection. I’m sure even then there’ll be plenty of opportunities coming from my time on the show! Caleb and I will definitely be showing up at LEGO fan conventions when we can!
Tai Freligh is a Los Angeles based writer and can be followed on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram and can be found on his website too.
PHOTO CREDITS: FOX
