LEGO® Masters USA – Season 2, Episode 7: Bricking Wind
Ok. So, after TWO weeks of hiatus (thanks Olympics) LEGO® Masters USA is back with the 7th episode of season 2, called ‘Bricking Wind’. Been quite the guessing game to catch the show this season. But hey, we’re getting more brick-built goodness for most of the summer – so it’s not all bad right? Tonight’s episode challenges our 7 remaining teams to build a structure that survives an industrial strength wind machine. If you’ve been keeping track, this is the 4th ‘destruction’ episode out of 7 total episodes. I’m starting to wonder if the producers are a boardroom of 6 year-olds that just like things to ‘go smashy’. Let’s take a look at who stood their ground this week.
Do You Feel A Draft?
The challenge this week was another strength-based objective. The contestants walked into the wind tunnel, er, the build room and met their arch enemy: the wind machine! “Bricking Wind” is the episode title and hands down the punniest pun of the season. Even I am in awe of the cheeze. Judges Amy and Jamie tasked the teams to create a centerpiece that needed to withstand winds up to 60 mph. Wind/air also needed to play a part in the overall design and ‘make the story more interesting with the power of wind’. 12 hours were put on the clock and off they went.
Don Quixote’s Worst Nightmare
Windmills! All the windmills! The Bricking Wind builds each featured a variation of a windmill or propeller. We got thin blades, thick blades, wide blades and all points in between. Although it wasn’t explicitly mandated, everyone did some kind of spinning element that hopefully held up against the wind test. Strength was important but so were aesthetics and story (when is it not?). Like the demolition derby, their finished models got a preliminary moment of judging before the hurricane blew through. UNLIKE the demolition derby, everyone got to test their builds with a smaller fan during construction. It certainly made a difference as most teams managed to get to 45 mph or higher.
Replays and Roleplay
With only 7 teams left, we got to spend more time with everyone and their builds. Will’s banter with Natalie has been pretty awesome all season, but tonight they had a fun bit of role reversal. Natalie came in with the Batman voice and showed some great comedy chops. She may yet steal those hosting duties. I also loved, LOVED the ridiculous amount of replays we got of Caleb’s crash and burn from the demolition derby. It will never not be funny. “Can we see it from another angle?” Yes. Thank-you. Will really got in some good digs on sweet Caleb. As did Mark – but he was definitely more savage about it haha.
Hang On To Your. . . Everything
Many of the teams managed to find some clever ways of incorporating movement in ways other than just a big spinning blade. Zack & Wayne for instance actually harnessed the wind power to drive a chain that moved elements of their ‘Oasis’ build. Their design was based on their own home in California where they use turbines in similar ways. The build also did really well holding its own against 55 mph wind speeds. Despite this, they were just safe this week. Rounding out the safe teams were Michelle & Natalie’s ‘A Child’s World’ and Mark & Steven’s space themed ‘Wind Powered Terraforming’ builds. Both were very lovely, I especially liked Mark & Steven’s design approach of slender-profiled towers. They were also only 1 of 2 teams to max out the wind machine at 60 mph. Great job.
It was Dave & Richard and Caleb & Jacob who secured the top 2 spots this week. Both builds were absolutely lovely and happily quite different from one another. Caleb & Jacob redeemed themselves after last week’s. . . incident, and built an architectural show stopper called ‘Portal to Atlantis’. It featured a really clever underwater theme (smart interpretation of ‘air currents’) and the story was original. I loved the grey and turquoise colour scheme as it set them apart from the rest. They also maxed out the machine at 60 mph to be one of the strongest builds of the night. Ok, a column or two went flying, but this is Atlantis we’re taking about – some destruction is inevitable.
Let’s Make it a Hat-Trick
Dave & Richard didn’t max out the wind machine, but they still managed to wow the judges on aesthetics and dynamic movement. Every part of their build swayed and moved in a lovely rhythm that really brought it to life. Using flexible rubber elements to allow for this sway was a genius move, it really payed off. Every flower survived and created a wonderful burst of colour. Their central column had great little ‘wind chimes’ built in that made sounds which could actually be heard over the machine. Kudos to them for thinking about sound as it relates to wind to add something really special. Not surprisingly the friends secured the win. And if you’re keeping score it’s their third win! It’s also a back-to-back win, solidifying them as the team to beat. Congrats fellas!
Thar She Blows
The bottom 2 teams this week were Lauren & Bryan and Maria & Phillip. The former built the second of the underwater themed builds of the night with ‘Tidal Turbine Tango’. This wacky underwater dance party was met with some criticism for its very grey and dull base. Although their characters were fun and quirky, they were lost among all the bland grey parts. The build did hold up though, and withstood the winds of fate up to 50 mph. Maria & Philip sadly fared even worse in both strength and aesthetics. Their design lacked finesse and Amy commented that it looked fairly messy up close. It also failed very quickly at just 20 mph. Maria struggled with the blade design very early on, building too big. Unfortunately their redesign went too thin and close, snapping almost right away. The choice was clear sadly, and Maria & Phillip were the eliminated team of the week.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed Bricking Wind quite a bit. With just one challenge and 7 teams remaining, we got to spend more time with everyone and their creations. I’ve been #teamDave&Richard since episode 1 and I am thrilled to see them securing their standing as the team to beat. I really hope we get to see them in the finale. It was sad to see Maria & Phillip go as they were just such a sweet and likeable pair. But they had a great run and I wish them lots of LEGO®-fueled luck.
- That large weather map was pretty rad – shades of the mosaic world map but on steroids
- Did anyone else catch Mark’s eyebrows when they didn’t make the top 2. . .spoke volumes 🤨
- Phillip’s emotional farewell outro was pretty darn sweet
- “The danger of building a sound garden is you might end up an audio slave”. Yes Will Arnett. *golf claps*
- “So Brickmasters….’Sup”. Smooth
- Natalie is legit hosting Season 5 of this show, just wait
- Speaking of Natalie, her husband is a wind turbine technician and…well…that sorta helped? 🤷♂️
- Mark & Steven held on to the golden brick. This thing is the One Ring of the LEGO® world
OVERALL SCORE: 8 / 10
What did you think about Bricking Wind? Have we had enough challenges that blow or break or smash? Aside from our current front-runners, who’s likely making it to the top spots? And do you think we’ll get to this finale in the next 2 months barring any more breaks? Comment below and as always, keep on brickin’.
-Frank
LEGO® Masters USA airs Tuesdays at 8:00 PM ET/PT on FOX in the US, and on CTV, CTV.CA and the CTV app in Canada.
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