It’s Finale time! After 12 episodes spread across what felt like 39 weeks (those delays….) and 125 combined hours of building we’ve reached the final. And how awesome was it to see not one, or two, but ALL THREE Canadian teams have a chance at the title of LEGO®️ Master? So great. Just as in past finales, Master Build asked our teams to pull out all the stops to create one last super duper creation. No restrictions, no criteria, just pure imagination and brick skill. Welcome to the last recap of the season friends. I hope you enjoyed the show and my many ramblings. Happy Reading.
Previous Episodes:
One Last Hurrah
Master Build was the last big build for all the marbles. Imagine they rewarded everyone in marbles? Ha. The riots…It was for the title of course and $100,000 USD. As a bonus, the winning build will be put on display at LEGOLand®️ in New York for all to see. The same incentive was awarded to Season 1 winners Tyler and Amy – a prize that was sadly delayed due to Covid-19. But they got there eventually. No special guest stars, but the finalists’ family did show up midway for some hugs, tears and good cheer. It was really sweet to see everyone reconnect, no doubt it’s hard to be away from family for so long. #allthefeels.
They show literally rolled out the red carpet and treated it a bit like a film premiere. It was a nice bit of pageantry and the show had fun with it throughout. For this final challenge, the teams had a full 24 hours to accomplish their plans. I have often wondered how this is spread out. It must be across two days at least right? No way they pull all-nighters. That must surely violate some labour or human rights laws. The editing makes it look that way. Hats off to these six resilient contestants and their building stamina.
One Last Twist
It would’t be a big LEGO® Masters finale without one final twist. And I gotta say in this case it was pretty fun. At one point our builders were presented some gift bags. Oh look, LEGO®. And not just any LEGO®, but vintage stuff! Each team member was given a copy of their very first set. I assume everyone was (at some point) asked what their first set was so the producers could get their hands on the goods. In Stephen’s case it was a retro Space set – not an original unopened box though, because that would be worth way too much LOL. Each team had to incorporate some pieces of these sets into their big Master Build. It was a fun pivot and a nice way to connect to the builders on a direct level.
🥉3rd Place: Dave & Emily
Coming in 3rd on Master Build were Dave & Emily with their build, ‘City of Kaleidoscopia’. The siblings went for a fun and colourful city scape. It featured some neat twisting skyscrapers made up of different coloured and stacked cubes. The rest of the buildings were more traditional, but no less cool. Each was filled with tons of accurate architectural details. And that subway cross-section underneath was awesome. This was the only team to use characters and minifigures to tell a story.
The overall theme got a neat twist thanks to the LEGO®️ sets they were given. Suddenly a modern scene got a Ren Faire twist with the Duke of Centipede. That was such a great mash-up of ideas and memorable characters. It was definitely one of their best builds. Sadly it didn’t get the top spot. “Always the bridesmaid” as Emily has put it. Congrats to Dave & Emily on a great season filled with memorable builds, high energy and all the red jerseys you could have wanted.
🥈2nd Place: Stephen & Stephen
The Canadian firefighters brought a little bit of Canada to their final piece with ‘Autumnal Aurora’. Honoring their Alberta roots, they chose to recreate the stunning scenery of Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. It really stood out among the three builds and I don’t think anyone has really done a setting or diorama like this for a finale. They also went micro-scale, which was also a first for the show. I love micro scale builds, there’s a real charm to using smaller or less pieces to create a large setting.
The end result was lovely thanks to those autumn colours, large mountains and the lake with chalet. It made a big impression. They did have some struggle figuring out the aurora/sky. Amy wanted some more colour (bc she always will) and the final result was quite the mix. It took up the entire upper area of the build and while lovely, didn’t quite fit for me. It ended up very flat and more like stained glass than an aurora. And it was also a challenge for them to add pieces from an OG space set, but they made it work. These friends were big contenders for the win, but sadly it wasn’t to be. It was so much fun to watch them all season. Congrats to Stephen & Stephen.
🥇Winners: Nick & Stacey
The big winners of LEGO®️ Masters USA, Season 3 are Nick & Stacey! I gotta say, the ‘Brickfluencers’ went on quite the journey all season. Starting strong with wins and consistently awesome builds, they hit a rough patch in the latter half. After being in the bottom 2 four weeks in a row, things weren’t looking so great for them. But they kept getting chances and finally rebounded in a big way when it mattered most. Winning the last couple of challenges solidified their position and they came into the finale with great momentum.
For their Master Build, Nick & Stacey delivered a gallery piece called ‘Imagination’. On the surface it was fairly straightforward: a bookshelf with objects on it. But thanks to nostalgic themes and a 1:1 scale, they managed to elevate it to more than just a facsimile. It’s hard not to be taken in by the cute objects and childhood references inside. The TV, books, skateboard, toys, they were all relatable and fun. Amy gave them some great advice about not working within a ‘closed canvas’ and pushing past the inherent visual box they started with. That is such a great term and it really made sense. It was done well with the comic character. But I wish they had done that all over to really add some animation to an otherwise static model.
With friends and family present, Nick & Stacey were awarded the top spot, cash prize and that fairly robust trophy. Cue the confetti and the sparks. It’s a shame that the prior teams weren’t around to pay one last visit and reunite. But there were no frowns for the winners. Congrats!
Final Thoughts
And that was Master Build my friends. So what’s the final verdict? I will say good, but not great. I loved each team and would have loved to see the win go to any of them. And the same goes for their final builds: good but not great. Absolutely impressive, don’t get me wrong, but nothing made my jaw hit the floor. I think they were all equal in scope and execution so it must have been a close call. In the end, I’m just thrilled to have seen Canada represent in such a big way. Let’s hear it for 6 AMAZING builders!
- Here’s one last shout out to Amy’s gorgeous formal wear – that sexy backline! Stellar
- Will: “It’s time for one more twist!”. Nick: “No. We’re good…”
- “I remember the bars on my window. They were really rigid.”
- Nick & Stacey building their shelf on the floor only to move it was…I dunno. A flex?
- Did Dave dye his hair at some point? I swear he was more salt-n-peppery in some clips….
- That look back at the 1 Hour Left time calls was HILARIOUS. Well done editors
- The Stephens really crushed making those mountains
- The Duke of Centipede needs an animated series
- A brick-built replica of a drawer box for loose pieces is the most relatable thing ever made on this show
OVERALL SCORE: 7 / 10
And that’s a wrap on the finale AND the season. I’m really happy to see Nick & Stacey as winners as they’ll make great ambassadors for Canadian builders. They’re already well established in the community and it’ll be fun to see what comes next for them. And of course all the best to Stephen, Emily, Dave and Stephen. Here’s wishing them lots of LEGO®️ success and happy building.
And now we need to know what you think. How did you enjoy the big finale? Did your favourite team win? Which build stood out the most? Thanks for following along all season. I hope you enjoyed these recaps. It was a lot of fun bringing them to you and I’ll be back next season. Thanks for reading and until next time, keep on brickin’. 🧱
-Frank
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