LEGO MASTERS USA Season 1 Episode 8: The exit interview

Another team has left the LEGO MASTERS USA contest, as they couldn’t win their battle of good and evil

While they managed to craft a storybook build with moving characters and a suitably scary villain, it was not enough to keep Flynn and Richard in the LEGO MASTERS USA competition. The married couple have put plenty of passion into their builds throughout the series.

In an exclusive interview, Brick Fanatics speaks to Aaron about how he and Christian fared on LEGO MASTERS.

Were you confident going into the LEGO MASTERS auditions?

I’d say I went in at least relatively confident… before the in-person audition, I’d had many positive conversations with the casting team about my candidacy as a contestant. Beyond this, I was ready to bring my A-game and my best self to the event! Nevertheless, I definitely felt some nervous energy showing up at our final audition, when a bunch of us all built together in the same room for the first time. I got to see the awesome stuff other applicants were building, and now I can say I feel really lucky to have been selected for this opportunity.

How did you prepare for the show?

Aside from building with LEGO for 20 plus years, you mean? I did a ton of prep and planning in advance of our final audition builds. LEGO MASTERS production gave us our building prompts, as well as a parts list, ahead of time. Armed with these, I spent the better part of a week planning, sketching, and engineering. I had to figure out what I’d be able to accomplish using the limited selection they’d be equipping us with for that audition.

What was it like arriving in the Build Room for the first time?

Magical. Building in my home studio is one thing… being on a soundstage, with these enormous two-story walls, seemingly bottomless supply of bricks, epic lighting, and 19 other talented builders was quite something else. I was truly blown away, I was bouncing off the walls.

What was the trickiest thing to adjust to when building competitively?

Time. Time, time, time! It takes a totally different mental approach to build within a time limit. For me, the hardest part was to learn how to say, “this is good enough,” i.e. to resist my perfectionism, because there simply wasn’t time to refine everything to my normal standards. This was tricky for Christian and me, because we’re both used to building smaller and more detailed than LEGO MASTERS calls for; during challenges, he and I would have to routinely remind each other not to stray too far down the “detail trail”.

You also have to learn how to make a plan — the right plan — and stick to it. You can’t spend too long coming up with the plan, because there isn’t time, but you have to simultaneously make your plan functional and proactive, because if you get 30 percent into a challenge only to realise an idea won’t work… that’s bad news.

Which was your favourite challenge?

Mega City. The build Christian and I produced for that challenge holds huge a piece of my heart, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we managed to execute.

What was the toughest challenge for you?

I think the toughest challenge for me was the Storybook challenge. It pushed Christian and me out of our comfort zones, which I’m grateful for of course— but yeah, that challenge was the hardest one in my book.

Are there any particular stand-out moments that made you laugh?

Will made several jokes in the Brick Pit that I’m almost certain won’t make it to air… and I probably can’t repeat them here, either! But gosh, he’s a funny man.

What was the best thing about participating in LEGO MASTERS?

I think the best part about having been on LEGO MASTERS was building a family with the rest of the contestants. We honestly had — and still have — tremendous love for one another. We respect each other’s creativity, artistry, and ideas; we propped each other up when times were hard; and we’ve shared more laughs than I can count. There’s no way to go through an experience as intense as LEGO MASTERS and not walk out bonded for life with the people you survived it with.

Did you learn anything new, about yourself or about LEGO creativity, through being a part of the show?

As Brickmaster Amy always told us – use more colour!

The next episode of LEGO MASTERS will air in FOX in the USA on Wednesday, April 8 at 9.00pm ET/10.00pm PT.

More LEGO MASTERS USA coverage

LEGO MASTERS: The road to the USA

Episode reviews:
Episode 1: “Dream Park Theme Park”
Episode 2: “Space Smash Challenge”
Episode 3: “Cut in half”
Episode 4: “Movie Genres”
Episode 5: “Mega City Block”
Episode 6: “Need for Speed/Super-Bridges”
Episode 7: “Storybook”

Exit interviews:
Episode 1: No elimination
Episode 2: “Space Smash Challenge”
Episode 3: “Cut in half”
Episode 4: “Movie Genres”
Episode 5: “Mega City Block”
Episode 6: “Need for Speed/Super-Bridges”
Episode 7: “Storybook”

Meet the judges:
Jamie Berard
Amy Corbett

Meet the contestants:
Sam and Jessica
Krystle and Amie
Flynn and Richard
Boone and Mark
Manny and Nestor
Tyler and Amy
Jessie and Kara
Christian and Aaron

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