LEGO® Masters USA – Episode 1: Dream Park Theme Park
SPOILER ALERT: this article reveals what happened in episode one, Dream Park Theme Park.
The challenge for episode one was to build Dream Park Theme Park in fifteen hours. Each team got a plot of brick-estate to build their vision of a theme park. Additionally, each team needed a motorized component to their builds, and a story to go along with the display. The prize was a coveted Golden Brick for use in future episodes to save from elimination.
Early in the episode, we met the show’s host, Will Arnett. Additionally, he introduced viewers to the show’s judges, Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard. Both are set designers for the LEGO® Group. Amy is a senior design manager who works on the Friends theme, while Jamie oversees Creator Expert and Architecture lines. The contestant introductions happened throughout the episode. However, you can read last week’s LEGO® Masters post for the rundown on who is competing.
There were a lot team growing pains this first week. Manny and Nestor, Sam and Jessica, and Jessie and Kara all have a lot of team building to do if they are going to build together effectively. Jessie and Kara made big strides halfway through the episode at least. Kara’s animated facial expressions will also provide some entertainment moving forward. Manny and Nestor, as well as Sam and Jessica hit the bottom two this week with somewhat uninspired and non-functional designs.
Up for grabs in Episode 1 was the coveted Golden Brick!
Other teams had interesting park ideas but did not execute their designs to level of a LEGO® Master this week. Travis and Corey, Flynn and Richard, Krystal and Amie, and Mel and Jermaine all had theme parks that were good, but not great. The caliber of building techniques used was at a hobbyist’s level and did not blow me away. There is nothing wrong with that, and I would probably lump myself into this category. However, if these teams want to win, they will need to up their game.
My third-place pick was Tyler and Amy. They had a functional egg-drop ride as their centerpiece. Sadly, the episode did not show if the eggs dropped, but they did rise. This team spent a lot of time planning, which worried the judges early on. However, they pulled it together in the end. I also like that Tyler is such a LEGO® nerd and that Amy bought into his passion when they got married.
The final two teams are the teams to watch in upcoming episodes. Both started building very fast and were very ambitious. Inspired themes and great story-lines in their parks added to the wow-factor. Very early on, Christian and Aaron blew me away with the speed at which their Ferris Wheel went up. I built the Creator Ferris Wheel using instructions, and it took me nine hours. Meanwhile, Boone and Mark designed an epic roller coaster with an elevator to carry cars to the top. Of the two teams, I was voting for Boone and Mark. I loved their Timber Town idea. Sadly, their elevator broke down during judging, giving Christian and Aaron the Golden Brick.
The final twist? No one went home!
In the end, Christian and Aaron won the day. Meanwhile, Manny, Nestor, Sam, and Jessica were all in the bottom. However, no one was sent home this week in a last minute twist. The coming week’s challenge will be space themed and will involve the sacrilegious trashing of builds. Additionally, one team will be axed. LEGO® Masters picks up again at 9:00 pm on Wednesday, February 12 on Fox. What are your early thoughts and top preliminary picks for LEGO® Masters USA? Be sure to comment below or shout out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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