Annie’s Top Tips For Being A LEGO Masters Contestant

Production of LEGO Masters Australia Season 3 is well underway, with other LEGO Masters series being filmed around the world. For new contestants, it’s a daunting experience full of surprises and a work environment like no other. You can either sit back and enjoy the ride, or there are things you can do to prepare yourself!

I may have only been on LEGO Masters for 3.5 hours, but behind every episode was weeks of excitement and learning about being a LEGO Master. Here are my top tips for those that might be heading into the reality TV world of LEGO building.

1. Practice

You NEED to practice so you can manage your time effectively. Even if you know what you want to do, if you’ve not been able to nail it 3 times over whilst a comedian is asking you ridiculous questions, while you’re maintaining eye contact with them AND building upside down in a water tank, you’ve obviously not practised enough.

Create your own challenges, do it against the clock, throw in a twist, all while doing it blindfolded. Sure you might get put up in a hotel with a spa, surrounded by delicious restaurants. But if you want to see finals week, focus on the job at hand. Once filming finishes for the day, eat, practise, then sleep.

2. Be kind

To your partner, your fellow teams, the crew and even the producers. Kindness and compassion will give you the ability to experience the phenomenon and not look back with PTSD. It is a stressful environment, but additional stress can be avoided but not creating it.

3. Balance your build ideas

Quirky is awesome, but you also need a level of understandable that the viewer can associate with. Capturing the foundation of familiarity and adding your twist will be a useful advantage.

Take a moment to stand back and look at your build. Erase everything you know about what you are trying to create, look at it with fresh eyes, and see if you can work out what it is if you were seeing it for the first time.

Learn to brainstorm. Learn mindmaps. Not just you, but with your partner. Time spent planning is time saved when building. Having a solid plan will help you manage your time and the model’s construction.

4. Eat proper meals and get proper sleep

You’ll probably be up at 5am each day and you’ll be buzzing each night, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning. Look after your physical health as best you can by utilising the services provided to you and ensuring you do what is right for your body.

Don’t underestimate meditation and mindfulness techniques. Try creating a routine to allow your body to relax. Talking a walk is a great way to wind down, but also a great time for ideas to come to you. So be sure to note them down!

Before production starts, learn what foods you should be eating that have slower energy releases and not fast but short energy burst. They will just burn you out.

5. Take care of your mental health

Physical health is one thing, but mental health is another and both need to be strong to be on your peak LEGO game. I’m a huge advocate for positive mental health support and regardless of whether you are building LEGO on national TV or not, I think having a support network of friends, family and medical professionals is extremely beneficial to caring for your mental health.

Take time out with your teammate and other teams to debrief. I guarantee you are all feeling the same things and you’ll be able to connect.

6. Prioritise the experience over the outcome

Winning LEGO Masters would be awesome. But there are so many benefits other than winning that you’ll experience! You’ll bond with those going through the process and you’ll create some of the most ridiculous memories of your lifetime. Like singing on Melbourne trams in the middle of the night, crying together over crosswords, or even just the joy of epic desserts in the green room.

7. Appreciate your new friends

When it’s all done, you’ll have an epic show to watch, (possibly a trophy) and literal best friends. LEGO Masters is possibly the first program in history to provide wholesome, positive reality content that families love. It might also be the first to have successfully created a cast of contestants that care deeply for each other. And really, that’s the prize.