Tai Freligh interviews this week’s eliminated LEGO Masters contestants…
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 will be chatting with the eliminated contestants. This week Tai talks with Lauren and Bryan about their time on the show, lessons learned and more about the build that ended their time on the show.
Talk about auditioning for the show and what it was like to get selected?
There’s a lot of ways contestants can begin the audition process, and oftentimes LEGO Builders are approached by casting at conventions or through social media, but we applied through a Facebook Ad for the show. Bryan had a targeted ad pop up on his Facebook, and he messaged me (Lauren) the link and asked if I’d participate with him and want to try out for the show. I thought, sure, why not! We had loved Season 1 of LEGO Masters and thought we would be able to bring fun stories and characters to life on the show. So we sent over an application and 5-minute introduction video. From this point on, we received a call from casting on New Year’s Eve, and from there we were off to the races. We had multiple video call interviews with casting producers, and built multiple at-home builds to prove our building abilities. We were ultimately chosen as one of the 12 teams!
What was your experience like being on the show?
It was the experience of a lifetime. It was so exciting to have 5 million LEGO Bricks at our disposal. It was also incredible to meet these other talented builders who share a passion for LEGO with us. Even though it’s a competition show, it usually felt so supportive on set, with teams really wanting their competitors to do well. We were proud of the teams that succeeded, and it was heartbreaking to see a team go home. Overall, the experience of being on LEGO Masters is one we will cherish for our whole life, as it is a cumulation of a hobby that bonded Bryan and I through our childhood into adulthood.
What build are you most proud of?
I think a build that we are very proud of is our Episode 2 build, for the Hero Shot! Challenge. For this build, we had to create an epic explosive hero stunt scene, where a hero Minifigure is in the foreground of the build, and the scene behind it gets exploded, leaving the hero safe and sound. We randomly drew the Ladybug Minifigure, and the explosive element of colored dust, and we created ‘Lola’s Pollen Plot’. We built a giant Frog, who is Lola the Ladybug’s natural predator. We concocted a story that Lola has planted a bomb in the flower on the lilypad, and when the frog goes to step on the lilypad, he gets exploded to smithereens – and that’s exactly what happened! The frog exploded into tiny pieces, with yellow dust being our explosive element (the pollen in the story) and this build secured us the win for the episode.
Tell us what you were trying to do with the build that ended up getting you eliminated?
The build that ended up sending us home is actually one of our favorite builds. We had to create a working puppet out of LEGO bricks, and also had to memorize a script to perform a puppet show with another team in the competition. We created ‘Hazel the Princess Pup’ who is inspired by our dog Hazel at home. She is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and she is treated like a princess, so we gave our puppet a crown, bedazzled collar, and diamond tennis ball. We also had to incorporate movement in this build, so we made a talking mouth, swinging ears, a moving tongue, and moveable arms. Honestly, there isn’t much else we would have changed for this build, as we are LEGO sculptors, and we wanted to create a very loveable detailed build, which we felt we did. The part that we think got us in the bottom two was the performance itself, as there was a lot to remember at the time with moving the puppet in many different ways while also performing memorized lines. Overall, as said in the show, at this point in the competition, the talent is all so strong that it is the tiniest thing that can send a team home.
What lessons will you take with you from your time on the show with the judges?
The judges were so helpful on LEGO Masters. They truly are there to help the teams make their best work. Even if it isn’t aired in the episode, the judges visit every team at least once an episode to learn about their build idea and give advice. They helped us really lean into the challenges and create the best work possible.
Hosted by actor and producer Will Arnett, Season Two of LEGO Masters premiered Tuesday, June 1 (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. In each episode, Arnett, alongside expert Brickmasters and LEGO employees Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard, will encourage the builders, introduce incredible challenges and put their creativity and skills to the test. The competing pairs who impress the Brickmasters the most will progress to the next round, until the finale, during which the top teams will face off for a $100,000 cash prize, the ultimate LEGO trophy and the grand title of LEGO MASTERS.
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
