Generally speaking, I’m not a “reality TV” person. Most of the shows that I think of with that classification, from Survivor and The Bachelor to the various singing competitions, have never interested me. I’ve never even given them a try. I am, however, a big nerd, so one reality TV joy that I do have is Fox’s LEGO Masters.
I would have considered myself a big LEGO fan before I started watching LEGO Masters. I own lots of big LEGO sets and have visited Legoland on vacation. I realize now that I’m really not that big a fan after all because the people who compete on the LEGO-building reality show are really the only ones that probably deserve that title. I’m only just now working my way through LEGO Masters Season 3, but I’m now really looking forward to the impending start of Season 4. Here are just a few reasons you may want to give the show a try if you haven’t yet.
The LEGO Creations Are All Worth Checking Out
This first point may be obvious, but the best thing about LEGO Masters is the LEGO. Each week, teams are given a specific challenge that they each tackle in their own way. This leads not only to seeing lots of different sorts of LEGO creations, but often seeing some truly ingenious takes on the challenge. Sometimes the more radical ideas don’t always work out, but when they do, they are truly impressive.
My love of LEGO, especially as an adult, has been in the buying and building of sets. I’ve never felt particularly creative with a bucket of random bricks, but that’s part of what makes watching the competitors doing their thing all the more impressive to me. Even the stuff that gets people eliminated is better than I could do, so I have to respect it.
But it’s also caused me to eye my buckets of bricks and maybe see what sort of stuff I might be able to create. I’m not planning to apply for the show anytime soon, but it has certainly made me wish that I could.
LEGO Masters Is Low Drama Reality Competition
One of the things that always turned me off from a lot of reality TV has been interpersonal drama. While it might not be that unusual for some conflict to rear its head when a bunch of strangers get put together in a competition, I just don’t care for it. A lot of reality shows are entirely about that drama, but even some shows that have some other focus can’t help but spotlight the drama when it happens.
The worst LEGO Masters gets with personal drama is when a team realizes in hour five of an 11-hour build that their design isn’t working and they have a minor panic attack. Sometimes you see them storm off and take time to get themselves together. Nobody is ever actively talking smack about another team. The other teams are often motivated because everybody knows the other teams are good at what they do, so if anybody messes up, elimination could come.
In the end, each team is simply trying to build the best version of their own thing independent of what others are working on. When teams get eliminated, they often talk about how the thing they’ll miss the most is the other competitors, because they’ve all become friends over the course of the show. Sometimes LEGO Masters just skips the elimination
Will Arnett Is The Perfect LEGO Masters Host
I feel like Will Arnett is one of the comedians that some people think is hilarious and others really do not. I haven’t taken a poll, but I could totally see that not everybody might love Arnett’s particular style. But I think that regardless of what you actually think about Arnett, that style is what makes him perfect to host this specific reality show.
Arnett, of course, has a strong LEGO connection, as he was the voice of LEGO Batman in The LEGO Movie, and his character was so popular he got his own sequel in The LEGO Batman Movie. But that’s not why Arnett is the perfect choice to host LEGO Masters.
If you hear Will Arnett telling jokes and think that his schtick should elicit more groans than laughs, that’s exactly why he’s perfect on this show. LEGO Masters may feature exclusively adults, but it’s focus is a toy. The premise is inherently silly, so “dad jokes” are exactly the sort that fit perfectly with the show’s overall tone. It knows how goofy it is, so it found the host that provides exactly that vibe.
LEGO Masters Is The Perfect Family Reality Show
That silliness in tone is also in service to another element that sets LEGO Masters apart, that it’s a reality competition that the whole family can enjoy. The previously mentioned interpersonal drama that permeates many reality shows is enough that I wouldn’t want my very young children to watch them, even if I did. The subject matter of many of them isn’t the sort of thing that’s going to appeal to many kids. My six-year-old could watch MasterChef with me, but I’m not sure why they’d want to do so.
But LEGO Masters has something that is going to appeal to even small kids, making it something the family can enjoy together. While LEGO Masters is apparently complex to make, it's simple to watch and understand, and perhaps young kids watching these creative people will inspire them to become creative. I love building LEGO sets with my daughter now, but if she decides she wants to stop following the instructions and try to make her own thing, I’m certainly not going to stop her.
If you are a serious LEGO fan, you’ve probably at least tried LEGO Masters already, but I feel like even if you’re not a serious LEGO fan, or are not one anymore, there’s enough to enjoy about LEGO Masters that it’s worth giving it a try if you haven’t yet. The first three seasons are available on Hulu, and Season 4 of LEGO Masters begins September 28.
