There was a surprise shakeup during episode three of LEGO® Masters, season three on FOX. TikTokers Ethan and Dom joined the show’s contestant pool following the elimination of Grand Pappies, Patrick and Kerry. True North Bricks caught up with Ethan and Dom for an interview along with Megan from Brickset (she is also known for her work at the Women’s Brick Initiative). We asked them about what it was like to join the season three episodes in. While it might initially seem like an advantage to skip three challenges and join the show later, there’s a lot more to it below the surface. Camaraderie between teams, knowledge of the Brick Pit had already been established. The Golden Brick and celebrity appearances had already come and gone. Read on for more!
How did you first get into the LEGO® hobby?
Dom: My LEGO® journey started essentially when I was six. For my sixth birthday, I got 7667, Imperial Dropship. It’s just an old Star Wars battle pack. I have a sealed copy in memory of it. Me and my dad built it when I was six, and that kind of tumble weeded into what this is now. Just that one set and a whole lot of credit card debt [laughs].
Ethan: I grew up very close to my family, I have two older brothers. We all got the 2008 Republic Gunship, and I was five at the time. That was the first set that we all built together. That was really awesome. Like Dom said, he used the word “tumble weed.” That’s exactly what happened to me. It started when I was five and I got that set. A few years later I was already building character builds and MOCs. I have pictures of little me, I was probably six or eight, holding smaller character builds. It’s really cool to see those pictures and how far you’ve grown. I would say its important to look back and see how much you’ve grown from your first set or your first MOC to where you are now.
What was it like joining the season three episodes in?
Ethan: It was unexpected.
Dom: At first, we weren’t too thrilled about it, but then we got on board. I’ll just leave it at that.
Ethan: We missed Chris Pratt! [laughs]
Dom: We missed Chris Pratt! I mean, come on! [laughs]
Ethan: Coming into the third episode, there are definitely some difficulties. We felt behind. We didn’t know the brick pit. Also, we didn’t know the vibe, you know, time management. These other teams have had three episodes to know the style, know the brick pit, to know how to build as a team. Now the competition is getting very narrow. Three teams have already left. There’s not much trial and error, we can’t mess anything up. There’s definitely that. Some people can look at it like “these people just skipped over to the fourth episode to build.” Or there’s also the negative way, we don’t know the brick pit, are we up for the challenge?
In episode three, there was a bit of a feeling of out with the old and in with the new at the end of the episode. What are your thoughts on that?
Dom: I really can’t say much on that because I haven’t really though about it like that. But, damn, that is kind of how it looks. What it comes down to is we didn’t have a choice. They were like: “this is what we’re going to do with you.” And we were like, “okay.” We loved the Grand Pappies, they’re great.
Ethan: I wish we’d gotten to know the previous contestants that have already left.
Dom: We had a little bit of time during wardrobe processes and stuff, like probably a week and a half, to get to know everybody. But that is something that I do wish we had more time on: building, being in the build room, being off set with the other contestants. It’s something I do regret missing out on. But it is what it is.
Are there any challenges from the first three episodes that you wish you could have taken part in?
Dom: Every single one. Absolutely.
Ethan: The ship behind me is actually me doing the very first episode challenge. If we did a spaceship… this is a giant camera. We’re content creators. So, we’re basically traveling through the galaxy, capturing all the moments on camera. I thought that was fun. You can actually see my room inside there. It was really fun to build. I’d like to maybe do the other two challenges.
Dom: The rodeo challenge would have been really fun. I feel like we could have built something really silly. With it being a primarily character build, it is quite unfortunate that we didn’t get a chance to be a part of it. Also the second one for missing out on Chris Pratt [laughs].
What was the biggest challenge for you on LEGO® Masters?
Dom: Ethan and I can both agree on this, our wardrobe. We don’t wear sweatshirts all the time. Especially in hot studios with giant lights. Although we were really good at hydrating ourselves and making sure we didn’t pass out of dehydration, it was still quite difficult building with a constant stream of sweat on your brow. That, I would say, was the most difficult part.
Ethan: Not time management, Dom? Not working as a team? Not knowing where the brick pit was? [laughs]
Dom: The heat intensified all of that!
Ethan: Will Arnett? [laughs]
Dom: That is a close second.
Ethan: Okay. [laughs]
Dom: We can’t reveal too much, Ethan!
Ethan: That will Arnett is on the show called LEGO® Masters?
Dom: Okay, alright, thank you for that.
More to come…
We are now three episodes into LEGO® Masters, season three. You can follow our full coverage by clicking here. With three teams gone and TikTokers Ethan and Dom joining the cast, the stakes are intensifying for the remaining teams. Be sure to check back regularly for more season three content! In the meantime, if you want to learn more about Ethan (@ethan.the.artisan) and Dom (@coolguydom02), you can check them out on TikTok.
UPDATE: You can read out second interview with Ethan and Dom by clicking here.
Until next time,
-Tom
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