Lego Masters is set to make its return for a fifth season, with a new twist on the show. In a world first, the winners and top teams from previous seasons – plus a new wildcard duo – will face off to determine the best of the best in Lego Masters: Grand Masters, premiering April 10 at 7.30pm on Nine and 9Now.
Back in October, Mediaweek took a trip to Sydney Olympic Park where the show had just began filming and sat down with hosts Hamish Blake and Ryan ‘Brickman’ McNaught.
As the pair left the set and the conclusion of filming an episode, they reflected on what they’d just walked out of as they settled in to chat.
Brickman: “If it ended now, I would be happy.”
Hamish: “Brickman preempts cancellation! But seriously, that was amazing. We just finished an episode, and that was wild. It’s been cool, but at the moment it feels like it’s the best thing we’ve ever seen on the show.”
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The main difference between previous seasons and Grandmasters is that this season sees the return of contestants who have already competed on the show – and often done very, very well. Beginning Grandmasters with the familiarity of knowing the contestants was a major advantage for the hosts.
Hamish: “Calling a spade a spade, none of this works if people can’t build Lego. You could have the greatest sets, the greatest challenges, you could have Jimmy Fallon hosting, but nothing would work if they can’t build Lego. So there’s always that nervousness in a new season, but there’s none of that with Grandmasters. You absolutely know they can do it.”
Brickman: “They’re absolute guns.”
Hamish: “That’s exciting, because you can amp the challenges up a notch. You’re dealing with people that have been on the show before, they have an idea of how it works. It’s fun, everyone comes back a lot calmer, a lot more relaxed, and they’re ready to go.”
Brickman: “They’re more comfortable being themselves. It normally takes time for that to happen, but that’s already happened.”
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With a brand new season comes a brand new Power Brick. Sitting behind the scenes of Lego Masters, the pair keep their brick-shaped cards close to their chests.
Hamish: “Every season we have a magical brick, it started as the Golden Brick in season one, there was the Titanium Brick, the Platinum Brick, and the new one is being forged as we speak.”
Brickman: “They’re all being melted together!”
Hamish: “It’s the most powerful brick that has ever existed, which is a huge deal. It’s so powerful that you have to wear gloves to hold it!”
With four seasons under their belt and the fifth one about to air, the pair say that the biggest lesson they’ve learned so far is to go with the flow.
Hamish: “I think a general rule is to follow the fun. If something seems like it’s fun, and there’s still life in it, you can keep it going in a different form.
Brickman: “We’re an unscripted show, we don’t have lines that we need to remember. If we’re on a roll on something, we just keep going with it – if it happens, it happens, and I think that’s probably where our finest moments have come from.”
Since making its debut, Lego Masters production has bounced from Melbourne to Sydney (because of Covid) and then from Fox Studios (now Disney Studios) to Olympic Park. Despite this, the pair say there hasn’t been too much of a difference when it comes to the final product.
Hamish: “I think it’s actually a massive testament to the crew that it always feels the same. It’s quite remarkable. We were worried at first when it moved to Sydney that might have lost some magic, but the ability of the crew to recreate it was amazing.
“The other thing is our crew that shoots it. Brickman and I are very aware that the magic ingredient of the show quite often is just the lighting, the camera work, and the smoke. That’s what makes the Lego look so incredible. That’s why when you see Lego on Lego Masters, it looks different than Lego on your loungeroom floor.”
Brickman: “With the move, some of our crew have stayed with us the whole time, so there’s that continuity. But there are also some new people that come on that just bring a fresh idea, or ask ‘what if we did this slightly differently’ or whatever. That adds and brings value to the show.”
Lego Masters: Grand Masters, premiers April 10 at 7.30pm on Nine and 9Now
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Top Image: Hamish Blake and Ryan “Brickman” McNaught