I’m not a fan of cat videos on the Internet. I don’t like when people re-watch TV series (no matter how good they are) instead of watching new TV (because they should be reading books after all).
I don’t understand how people can spend hours on Instagram or Pinterest.
So the mere idea that grown adults spend money buying hundred dollar lego sets and building them to recapture some Gatsby-esque past? I’m not having it. (I do grant you that it’s slightly more acceptable than adults playing video games).
And not only are there grownups really good at Lego-ing… but they make a reality competition show about it? Are you kidding me?
But putting aside my own personal bias for the sake of reality television, I have to admit that as a work of entertainment, Lego Masters is quite entertaining (and certainly more so if you have a family). The premise is teams of two are given a task and then have hours (and I mean all day) to work together to… Lego.
It pretty much borrows or steals from most reality show formulas (think Top Chef mixed with Project Runway) in that they have to create a “dish” (Lego project) while there is a countdown clock and a host or judge walks around to give advice. Meanwhile, contestants scramble around a “workroom” that includes more than 3 million different types of LEGO bricks so they can complete their given task and out-build the other teams and impress the judges. (Yes, they have every LEGO block known to exist).
The host and executive producer is Will Arnett. He is perfectly self-deprecating. He is amazed at the contestants’ abilities, always supportive, and hams it up at all the right moments. He dims the lights, enjoys smashing stuff (which in episode two is the entire purpose of the episode), and is able to pull off the right tone of a competition host. He roots for the contestants and is entertaining to watch.
Of course, Arnett knows absolutely nothing about building things with Legos. So he needs assistance from people who do.
He gets this help from the “Lego experts” Jamie Berard and Amy Corbett. These are the master Lego judges who have designed some of the Lego kits sold across America and have helped Lego become the company it is today. They walk around offering helpful advice during the competition and are the critical “judges” at the end of the show.
Like most reality shows, the true connection with the viewers comes from the casting. From teachers to truck drivers to barbers–they truly do have “real” jobs. With one exception, they are at least 30. (Most of them are in their 40s or older!). And they just love Lego. Like Amazing Race, they play in pairs of two. My favorite pair is Many and Nestor, a father-son duo from Bethlehem, PA. There are also the “Bearded Builders”–two remarkably similar looking men who met in a Lego store when they noticed they looked so similar–and of course shared the same passion for Lego building.
At the end of each episode (except episode, where the judges decide to be too nice) a team is eliminated. There’s also a special “golden brick” that can save a team (a typical reality show convention like an immunity idol in Survivor) and the team has to play it before the judging so they pretty much have to know their “build” is at risk of being judged as the weakest of the episode.
But the problem with Lego Masters is it doesn’t get “geeky” enough. For a show about the amazing things these crazy adults can do with Lego, it barely shows the intricate ways the contestants actually… complete the projects. If I watch Top Chef, I can understand why Tom Collichio dislikes the risotto and precisely why the recipe fell apart. Here, we barely see the ways the eight to ten hours of working on the project resulted in the end result of the project itself. In the pilot, there was a little bit of explanation of how to build some of the interesting, difficult pieces. And even though I have no desire to spend money or build Legos at home, it was the technical aspects of the show that were the most fascinating. More of these dropped out of the shows as subsequent episodes aired. This is a shame, since it’s otherwise impossible to judge who really is a more technical team.
There is also an inequality in the judging process. Strangely, they show the judges really discussing the first project or two and then give the next projects a “very quick” edit and after watching the show for an hour we almost feel cheated. I want to hear the critique. It’s such an odd choice for a show that is 100% about building one project. The decision to barely let us hear the judges’ critiques of the six or seven total Lego projects is baffling.
Whether building a theme park, movie set, or a space scene that is out of this world, there truly are awe-inspiring creations that the contestants come up with on Lego Masters. I suppose like a fantastic recipe on Top Chef or a great avant-garde fashion show on Project Runway, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Still, it’s only garnering about 4 million viewers in real-time, so I’m not sure that it will be around for a second season–but for its ability to make us all feel like kids and wow us with projects we’ll never spend our own money on, Lego Masters is well worth watching. And best of all, there are no annoying Lego blocks scattered on your floor to pick up around your house afterwards.
LEGO Masters is an 8-episode reality series. It airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 9 PM Eastern / 8 Central on Fox through March 25th. It can also be seen here: https://www.fox.com/lego-masters/
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Overall Rating
Rigged ass show