LEGO Masters - Competitive TV show starting 24 August

[AmperZand]

LEGO Masters, a television show in which teams of contestants have their building and creative skills pitted against each other starts tomorrow (24 August 2017) at 8pm on Channel 4 (with repeats 27 August at 11.05pm and 29 August at 1.15am).

Guest presenters include Richard Osman, Bill Bailey and Dara O'Briain. Can we assume they're AFOLs?

Here's the trailer. 

And here's the press release.

 

Apologies if this has been mentioned on the EB boards already. I had a look but didn't see anything.

[Peppermint_M]

Sounds watchable, though the cringe might occur.

[ColletArrow]

2 hours ago, AmperZand said:

Guest presenters include Richard Osman, Bill Bailey and Dara O'Briain. Can we assume they're AFOLs?

These presenters are, as far as I know, not AFOLs in any way, shape or form! There will definitely be some cringe in there with those. I'll watch it anyway, as I live in the UK.

[BrickbyBrickTechnic]

Oh, no... this is gonna be real cringy.

[Peppermint_M]

Not judging the presenters. I find Bill Bailey very entertaining and erudite, Dara O'Briain is a great presenter and Richard Osman is a real chap on panel shows. I think they are there for their "nerd/geek"-cred so they may not be as AFOL as us lot, but they are not going to be snobby or patronising (I hope).

I am more concerned about what the tone is going to be. Channel 4 and the production companies that supply them with programmes sometimes take a somewhat mocking or "superior disbelief" tone (as in, "can't believe that these people do this"). While their serious documentaries are fascinating (Secret History, Time Team etc) the ones designed to be more entertaining can really up my aggravation at the narrator/presenter for their attitude. 

I dunno, we'll see.

[JanetVanD]

I think it's important to remember that a TV show is primarily, regardless of content, a TV show; therefore it must entertain.

The show is meant to be lighthearted and fun, exploring the wide variety of LEGO fans out there (not just AFOLs) and not at all condescending.

Building on camera with a strict time limit, a pre-selected collection of bricks and several other limitations is very different to what most AFOLs would be used to, so it's best to just enjoy the show in the spirit in which it is intended, not as one might critique MOCs at an AFOL exhibition. 

As the contestants are varied in ages and walks of life, the judges represent a variety of personalties and viewpoints, none superior or mocking.

 

[Peppermint_M]

@JanetVanD Well, I was posting my initial concerns from the original "poster" that was on screen after The Big LEGO Christmas. 

I think we're going to have to add an As Seen on TV tag 

 

[Redhead1982]

I watched the first episode and for a 'reality show' it was great. I admit I was surprised to see only 3 female participants. The creation were great, there were lots if different amazing details. It's not easy building in a limited setup outside your comfort zone, although the studio's building room looks awesome with all the bright storage bins. 

JanetVanD, I wonder if any backstage details can be shed about the show, specifically the 14 hour limit and planning process. I was amazed to see some of the plans carefully drawn in so much detail.

I'll try to follow the show, I liked it a lot. It was competitive, but still friendly. 

[JanetVanD]

Contestants are bound by non-disclosure agreements, so I can't really say too much about the show until it has run its course. However, I can say that, for round one, the 14 hour time limit felt really short! When we walked into the build room, we were all seeing it for the first time, so we didn't know where anything was. The "sorting" system was crazy, so we ended up spending almost half our time searching for parts! Sometimes it was a case of "I've spent 20 minutes looking for a part; do I keep looking or do I give up and substitute?" But one can only substitute so many times before everything falls apart (literally!)

We were all given our brief a couple of days beforehand so we had a little bit of time to prepare, hence the plans seen on the tables. We were not allowed to request our own selection of bricks; some elements were plentiful whilst others were very scarce or non-existent. Each team was given the exact same assortment of bricks (except for the big bins of 2xn bricks behind the tables, each team was assigned a different, single colour of these)

The atmosphere was very friendly. The camaraderie between teams was wonderful and, for me, that was the highlight of the show. We all had fun and it never felt fiercely competitive. Indeed, advice was shared and we tried to help each other out when searching for parts. Then again, having fun is what LEGO is all about!

[NateDias]

It was crazy, the build room was amazing-and yet so far out of your comfort zone too.  14 hours sounds like ages, but realistically I can spend weeks on a MOC at home.  

The amount of bricks we were given was brilliant, but as JanetVanD said, very difficult to find what you wanted.  The production team sorted the bricks, but brick sorting is a very individual thing.

I agree with Janet, the friendship between teams was definitely a highlight of the programme!

[karmajay]

Will the episodes end up online for people in the states to watch? Thanks!

[Redhead1982]

Jessica and Nate, thanks for commenting. I sort of expected a non-disclosure agreement, but it's nice to hear about your feelings in the building room. I was impressed with the ''decorations'' of multiple bins and drawers. But, as you said, searching for parts can be very challenging. I wonder if there's like a ''sorting assistant'' to take apart the MOCs and re-sort all the bricks after the episode.

1 hour ago, karmajay said:

Will the episodes end up online for people in the states to watch? Thanks!

I'm not UK based, but I'm in Europe, and I searched for the episode on Channel 4's youtube channel. This might help you. I watched it a few days after it aired.

[karmajay]

17 hours ago, Redhead1982 said:

Jessica and Nate, thanks for commenting. I sort of expected a non-disclosure agreement, but it's nice to hear about your feelings in the building room. I was impressed with the ''decorations'' of multiple bins and drawers. But, as you said, searching for parts can be very challenging. I wonder if there's like a ''sorting assistant'' to take apart the MOCs and re-sort all the bricks after the episode.

I'm not UK based, but I'm in Europe, and I searched for the episode on Channel 4's youtube channel. This might help you. I watched it a few days after it aired.

Thanks!

[Peppermint_M]

So both, what is it like to watch after the fact? Any winces or gasps, face palm moments or "Dangit, I could have done that better."

[JanetVanD]

Of course there were things we could have done better, but hindsight is always perfect vision!

I think, if I were to do it all again, I would go for larger models using more 2xn bricks, (more like what you see in Legoland parks). Some of our smaller, detailed stuff turned out to be not very impressive on TV cameras. Also, I would practise more spur-of-the-moment unplanned builds, as these are definitely a weak area for me. Even at the EB event two years ago, Faolán and I experienced "brain freeze" during the timed, unplanned Alternative Polybag challenge! (that evening, in the cabin, we came up with all sorts of fantastic builds from those three polybags, but it was too late by then!)

The parts were not sorted between rounds. The production teams "helped" us clear our tables by sweeping whatever was on each table into empty drawers, but, other than that, if we wanted to resort our bricks or tidy our areas, we had to do it during the precious, designated build-time. Likewise, if we needed to use parts that were tied up in a previous build, we had to disassemble that model duing the time alloted for the next build! Hence, the messily demolished rocking horse behind our workstation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NateDias]

So both, what is it like to watch after the fact? Any winces or gasps, face palm moments or "Dangit, I could have done that better."

It is a little awkward seeing yourself on TV, especially as we see it at the same time as the rest of the country.  There was so much not shown in the programme... plenty of moments where models broke and we had to try and fix them.  A few moments, in hindsight, that we could've done better.  To be honest, I don't think I could've prepared for the challenges as I don't have nearly as many bricks as we had in the build room, my MOCs are a lot smaller at home.

[Benny benny BENNY]

wow its like having celebs on the forums .......... we (no offence Janet) are team Nate in our house 

After watching the first episode as a family my son shouted more and luckly we had episode two he's asked everyday if episode 3 is on yet

.

I think Mathew is awesome and adds a touch of officialness to it all 

 

the kids are just having so much fun 

 

Did Mathew let any secrets slip ????

 

[AmperZand]

On 01/09/2017 at 7:47 AM, JanetVanD said:

Of course there were things we could have done better, but hindsight is always perfect vision!

I thought that you were very unlucky not to go through to the next round. Your fairy tale themed builds were inspired. 

I liked Nate's builds a lot, too.

No offence to the Cantabrigians, but their eco-theme struck me as mawkish and their builds nothing to write home about. I would not have put them through. I really hope they didn't win the competition overall.

Of the remaining teams, Nate's is the one I reckon deserves to win.    

[Peppermint_M]

I'm most jealous that you got to meet Bill Bailey! 

It was too bad you didn't get through. I liked the builds and the challenges this time around. In fact I had a go at 15 piece builds while I watched.

[Redhead1982]

Oh no, spoiler alert.  I haven't seen episode 3 yet, there's no video on you tube or other sources. Too bad Jessica and Faolan are out. I'm really interesting to see the show end and all the creations from the contestants. 

How was the show accepted in Uk outside AFOL community?

[NateDias]

On 9/9/2017 at 2:09 AM, AmperZand said:

I thought that you were very unlucky not to go through to the next round. Your fairy tale themed builds were inspired. 

I liked Nate's builds a lot, too.

No offence to the Cantabrigians, but their eco-theme struck me as mawkish and their builds nothing to write home about. I would not have put them through. I really hope they didn't win the competition overall.

Of the remaining teams, Nate's is the one I reckon deserves to win.    

Thank you guys for the support!  I was so upset when Jessica and Faolan left, I'm still upset now.  All of their builds were truly amazing.

Quote this

On 9/9/2017 at 10:59 AM, Peppermint_M said:

I'm most jealous that you got to meet Bill Bailey! 

It was too bad you didn't get through. I liked the builds and the challenges this time around. In fact I had a go at 15 piece builds while I watched.

Bill Bailey has always been a favourite of mine too, I was so pleased to meet him! 

The mini builds challenge was so difficult.  Especially when we didn't know we were only getting 15 minutes.  But I think it would be a brilliant competition to try at home or a LUG meeting.

 

On 9/10/2017 at 8:05 AM, Redhead1982 said:

Oh no, spoiler alert.  I haven't seen episode 3 yet, there's no video on you tube or other sources. Too bad Jessica and Faolan are out. I'm really interesting to see the show end and all the creations from the contestants. 

How was the show accepted in Uk outside AFOL community?

The response from the non-AFOL community has been great.  The show has been really popular and has been trending on twitter every Thursday too!

On 9/6/2017 at 11:01 AM, Benny benny BENNY said:

wow its like having celebs on the forums .......... we (no offence Janet) are team Nate in our house 

After watching the first episode as a family my son shouted more and luckly we had episode two he's asked everyday if episode 3 is on yet

.

I think Mathew is awesome and adds a touch of officialness to it all 

 

the kids are just having so much fun 

 

Did Mathew let any secrets slip ????

 

Wow thank you guys!  Matthew was amazing!

[Peppermint_M]

Just now, NateDias said:

Bill Bailey has always been a favourite of mine too, I was so pleased to meet him! The mini builds challenge was so difficult.  Especially when we didn't know we were only getting 15 minutes.  But I think it would be a brilliant competition to try at home or a LUG meeting.

Those sort of challenges are really fun, we have similar sorts at the Eurobricks Event and everyone has a great time. I think the only difference is there is more beer involved at an EB event...

A lot of my family (and colleagues and friends of the family) have been asking if I watch and have been really positive about it. Heck, my more annoying siblings have been interested in the programme and amazed at the builds. (Though now I should apparently build a pirate theme-park. Cheers ). 

Was there any hints at a further contest? All told I wouldn't mind taking a stab at it.

[NateDias]

Just now, Peppermint_M said:

Those sort of challenges are really fun, we have similar sorts at the Eurobricks Event and everyone has a great time. I think the only difference is there is more beer involved at an EB event...

A lot of my family (and colleagues and friends of the family) have been asking if I watch and have been really positive about it. Heck, my more annoying siblings have been interested in the programme and amazed at the builds. (Though now I should apparently build a pirate theme-park. Cheers ). 

Was there any hints at a further contest? All told I wouldn't mind taking a stab at it.

Ooh, hopefully one day I will come along to a Eurobricks event  .  Yeah there was definitely no beer in the build room 

Yay, I'm so glad people are positive about it.  There are a few bitter people in the AFOL community who didn't get through the audition; but there are some very supportive ones too.  

Me and Steve would quite like to try and recreate our Pirate theme park, it was good fun.  Give it a go hehe

I'm sure they would love a second series, it just depends how well it did for channel 4 I guess.  I would definitely recommend people auditioning

[JanetVanD]

Thanks for all support and positive feedback! Faolán and I had a great time and made a lot of friends   

Of course it would have been nice to make it to the final but we didn't really mind too much as we had already achieved what we had set out to do, which was to see if we could build together, work as a team and still have fun along the way!

In general, the response has been very positive, both in the AFOL and wider community, especially in my home country, where everyone seems really proud of us regardless of final outcome.

If the show runs again next year, by all means, give it a go! Just remember that it is a TV show, so don't expect it to be anything like building MOCs at home or building for AFOL exhibitions. Enter for the fun of it and the overall experience.

DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FINAL YET AND DON't WANT ANY SPOILERS!

 

 

Huge congratulations to Nate & Steve, you did a fabulous final build! (I still think you should have been given two trophies!)

Enjoy installing your creation in LEGO House. Nate, Faolán and I are expecting to see you in Billund at next year's EB event!!

 

[Legochaek]

As it’s series 2, a friend and I sent in an application. To those of you guys who were on the show, can you say any of the application stages please? Or is this confidential?

Edited February 8, 2018 by Lego-fire