Comebacks and returns were all the rage this week on Lego Masters Australia, as one team bid farewell and another were granted a second chance.
That’s right, in a series first, two eliminated teams battled to make it back into the competition. But it didn’t start there, so let’s check out what happened in Week 3 of Lego Masters.
WEEK 3 RECAP
EPISODE SIX:
Hamish welcomes the remaining six teams to the elimination challenge, with Tim & Dannii heading off with Immunity strapped around their place in the game. The other five teams must build a 3D Lego piece, focusing on aesthetics where the teams must build a Lego popping out of a picture frame like an artwork. Jay & Stani are less than impressed with the task, while Trent & Josh see it as a chance to thrive.
Jackson & Alex decide to build a Venus flytrap, while Jay & Stani design a New York love scene with a couple illuminated in a spotlight. Andrew & Damian stick with the movie idea too, designing a Munch 3D movie poster, while Trent & Josh decide on a bull riding cowboy. Jennifer & Jodie plan to build a tiger in a jungle, but after gaining advice from the Brickman, they switch to an octopus attacking a pirate ship. A risky decision for the girls only an hour into the challenge. Hopefully it pays off.
Finding the fun is a core theme across each build, with everyone enjoying themselves one way or another. Hamish even tries to pitch in, by building a tiny fly for Jackson & Alex’s set. Trent & Josh’s cowboy head is criticised by the Brickman, who cautions them from using the one built thus far as it may be too small in perspective to the bull. This creates another problem, as in the final hour of the challenge, their new head is too big. Jay & Stani also grow concerned about their build upon looking at others, believing they are lacking in the 3D element of the challenge, thoughts reciprocated by the Brickman. Jennifer & Jodie hit disaster when their Lego sail breaks, and now three out of five teams are flirting with potential elimination.
IMAGE: NINE NETWORK
As time comes to an end, Jackson & Alex lose a small flytrap from their set. Disaster. As the artworks are hung for all to see, the Brickman begins to deliver his judgements. Jackson & Alex are up first, and the Brickman particularly commends the flies and their precision on producing 3D art. Jay & Stani are praised for the lifelike representation of a painting and the spotlight effect, although their 3D art perspective is lacking, and may cost them the win. Andrew & Damian are praised for nailing the 3D task, but are question on whether it is considered artwork. Trent & Josh are commended on their attention to detail on all elements of the challenge. Jennifer & Jodie are critiqued on their aesthetics work and distracting artistic elements. In the end, Trent & Josh are named the winners, and are only just my personal pick as well over Andrew & Damian. Meanwhile, it’s goodbye to Jay & Stani who are eliminated for not sticking to the 3D brief.
EPISODE SEVEN:
In the next build, teams must build above and below the table in the surprising elimination challenge. Described as a culmination of every other challenge, every team must apply all of the skills they have learned thus far in this build. And for this one, Andrew & Damian decide to play their Jordy brick, won back in the first challenge, so he can sprint to and from the brick pit to help them.
All teams are wrecked for ideas, but eventually a concept is decided on for each team. Tim & Dannii plan a archaeological dig, Andrew & Damian a beach shark prank, and Jackson & Alex a 1950’s worm attack. Trent & Josh are sticking with farm ideas, deciding on a farmer vs rabbit set, while Jennifer & Jodie design Santa’s workshop on Christmas Eve. Jordy’s proving to be quite the advantage, with a sheer sprint proving worthwhile for Andrew & Damian.
Jackson & Alex are working on their giant worm, and just as they think the picture looks good, the Lego crumbles to the floor. Much like every other challenge, the Brickman is concerned over Trent & Josh’s farmer and its standing weight. But luckily, it holds. Quite amazingly. Dannii accidentally breaks the bridge in her and Tim’s build, putting a setback to their progress with only two hours to go. Jennifer & Jodie also struggle as their build isn’t close to done with time rapidly ticking. This causes them to sacrifice several good ideas for the sake of finishing. With minutes to spare, another setback for Trent & Josh, their rabbit falls and breaks with mere minutes remaining, but in the last second, they come through, and all teams complete their build.
The Brickman adores Jackson & Alex’s build, praising their aesthetic touches and nailing the brief. Trent & Josh receive high praise for managing to complete the build with large success entirely, as well as excelling at the technical elements of their set. Jennifer & Jodie’s failure to execute the original idea is encompassed with generally positive feedback by the Brickman. Tim & Dannii’s excavation is praised by the Brickman, although a couple of technical errors are evident and mentioned. Andrew & Damian’s build is liked by the Brickman, but their failure to meet the brief and having little built under the table is dangerous to their place in the game. I really liked Jackson & Alex’s build, and so did the Brickman who gave them the win. Jennifer & Jodie are eliminated just over Andrew & Damian, who nailed the technical elements of their set.
Just as the Brickman starts to well up and the girls begin to face defeat, Hamish reveals a twist to the competition – they will compete against the most recently eliminated team, Jay & Stani, for a spot back into the competition. Both teams will face off to build a Lego replica of a retro item (that they choose), the best build will win a spot back into the competition.
IMAGE: NINE NETWORK
With so much on the line, Jennifer & Jodie pick the Polaroid camera, but quickly find the curves and angles are difficult to execute. Jay & Stani choose an old GameBoy, but are forced to compromise where possible to maintain accuracy. With a spiel from Hamish about fiddling in the final few minutes of the challenge, both teams strive to be perfect and win their spot back into the game. Jay & Stani’s replica is too thick, and it ultimately costs them the win as Jennifer & Jodie’s Polaroid is too accurate to fault harshly. The girls are back in the competition after a brief exit, and the boys bid goodbye.
REVIEW
The first thing I gotta say, I’m a little disappointed the upcoming Star Wars themed episode didn’t fall on May 4th. Bummer. Huge opportunity for a fun show. Oh well. Regardless, the teams are whittled down now and we’re only getting the best of the best in Lego. I’m truly amazed with every build which makes sending a team home oh so difficult. I also appreciate the twist of a returning team to the competition, although why the other two teams weren’t included seemed odd. If you’re going to do a comeback, get all the teams. Annie & Runa could have returned in a blaze of glory and been the underdogs until the end. And I love both Jay & Stani and Jennifer & Jodie, but for the previous two eliminated teams, it was unfortunate.
Hamish and the Brickman are still great to watch, chemistry, jokes, it all. I really love what the production team is doing with this format and show, they’re hitting a lot of great notes with only a few misses like the returning team challenge above. I also read a bit of controversy about the Brickman’s decision to eliminate Jay & Stani for not meeting the brief, but keep Andrew & Damian for it as well. I don’t know. I see what the audience is saying but I think sometimes it’s different for each challenge. Andrew & Damian’s build still looked really cool, and while I appreciate what Jay & Stani did with their spotlight, I don’t think it was nearly as worthwhile compared to what Andrew & Damian had built with their shark prank. It’s a tough judgement, and I think sometimes you have to pick personal preference. In the former situation, Jay & Stani’s build just wasn’t enough on the eyes to save them, for Andrew & Damian it was. So I don’t think we should be too tough on the Brickman. Although the insertion of a second judge may prevent similar controversies in the future, given it’s discussed. Otherwise everyone’s anger might just be multiplied by two, lol.
What a comeback from Jennifer & Jodie with their Polaroid, they really nailed it and I hope it means the girls get a confidence boost heading forward and aren’t just eliminated in the next build anyway. That’d suck. Especially since we really got to see their personalities and dynamic shine this week, and I actually adore them. Jennifer is just a whole lot of fun, she’s really enjoying her time in the competition and it’s great to watch. They escaped a narrow finish this week, so if we could see them make it another couple of steps further, they’d be one to watch. I still don’t think they can win, the other teams have produced some great builds thus far, and Jennifer & Jodie just haven’t quite met the standard. In saying that, every challenge is different and anyone can shine at any point. But we’ve got to look at track record, and I can only see Jennifer & Jodie going further one or two more places in the competition. It’s great that they won the comeback challenge though, an awesome milestone in their Lego Masters progress no matter how the season turns out.
IMAGE: NINE NETWORK
Andrew & Damian certainly hit a couple of speed bumps this week. I really enjoyed their Munch movie poster but understand why it didn’t win. It was some great Lego work though, and while they might miss some marks here and there – they also produce fantastic content. But we’ve seen two teams lap them in taking a 2nd win this season, so are Andrew & Damian slowly on track to fall? I really enjoy watching them, hearing how they can create some masterpieces and ultimately execute their design almost perfectly. They’re still my pick to win, although I’m not as convinced it’ll be obvious as we might think, there’s another team which I’m thinking will be a big challenger, and that’s Jackson & Alex. These guys have some truly incredible ideas, Venus flytrap, giant killer worm. That’s some amazing stuff. Well done to the boys for finishing in the top two both times, I certainly think it was deserved and their win in Episode 7 was a great confidence boost for them. These guys are really killing the competition and have just as much success as Andrew & Damian thus far. Maybe more. I bet they stick around, and I’d love to see them make it to next week. Keep it up boys.
Trent & Josh sure like to cut things close, and it always seems like the Brickman has a bone to pick with them, a concern with what they’re working on and whether they’ll make something work. And without fail, it always does. They escape huge risks for great results. This is all great for the boys as they continue, but is their luck about to run out? There’s no doubt they work amazing as a team and have some really great Lego ideas, but it’s these close calls and concerns that I have a feeling might cost them the game. I wouldn’t be shocked if I’m wrong, but is this the story arc we’re gonna see from them? For their sake, I hope not. Nevertheless, I enjoy how they communicate their ideas and they’re probably the most interesting team to watch all season. There’s a lot of creative ideas from these teams, but the method in which Trent & Josh talk about them and combat challenges – that’s good TV. I enjoy them a lot, but fear for their future. Finally, Tim & Dannii. With Immunity in Episode 6, we didn’t see much from them this week. They were in the middle ground for the next challenge, and rightfully so. The other boys just had some great Lego work that trumped theirs. Tim & Dannii produce some really neat stuff, but is it as good as some of the massive ideas from some other teams? Not overall. The excavation was cool, but not overly amazing and wowing me. Is that their Lego work? I tend to think not. I think it’s their creative ideas. They have GREAT ideas, don’t get me wrong. But when Jackson & Alex produce some AMAZING stuff, ugh, it hurts to say that I don’t think the couple can make it all the way to the top. What is awesome about them is they’re entertaining to watch. No doubt. Their dynamic is fascinating and they keep a nice light energy throughout the competition that I really appreciate. I hope we see more from them this week, both just in screen time but also from their creative toolkit that I imagine has some wow’s yet to come out. I can’t wait to see it.
That’s Lego Masters Australia in Week 3, we’ve only got a couple of weeks left, so who’s the tip to win it now? Let me know all your Lego thoughts below!
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Lego Masters Australia continues on Channel Nine at 7:00pm on Sunday, and at 7:30pm on Monday!
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