Stacey Roy started building Lego with her dad when she was just a little girl, but it’s the brick-building skills she honed as an adult that will get a worldwide audience.
The Kelowna woman is among 24 contestants who will be able to show off her building chops on the season premiere of Lego Masters.
“I’ve been building Lego ever since I was a little kid. My dad and I used to build these really giant Lego towers and then knock them over … and then I just got back into it as an adult,” she said.
She started doing a Lego livestream, and it was in recent days that her building partner, Nick Della Mora from Ontario, asked her if she would consider auditioning, with him, for Lego Masters, in what turned out to be the first year Canadians have been allowed to compete.
“I was like, ‘That sounds amazing,’” she said.
“Then before I know it, the ball got rolling. I was auditioning and then I was off to Atlanta, Georgia, to be on Lego Masters.”
It’s been a brick-building whirlwind ever since.
“It’s such a dream come true to get to be on Lego Masters and once you get there and you get to see this set and the brick pit with over five million Lego pieces, it’s a lot to take in,” she said.
The premier episode, which airs Wednesday night, is NASA-themed. Contestants are challenged to build a fun, colourful, personalized spaceship that tells the judges something about their team.
“When it comes to building, my partner and me both bring very different strengths to the table,” Roy said.
“He is such an incredible builder, he’s got mad skills. But for me, it’s all about storytelling. So whenever I’m building something with Lego, I really want it to feel like it comes to life and is telling a story. So it doesn’t matter what the challenge is, I really tried to bring that to the table.”
Roy couldn’t say much else about what viewers would see, but the episode also features appearances from two NASA astronauts, Jessica Meir and Tom Marshburn, who inspire the contestants and lend their expertise throughout the challenge.
Meir joins in-person on the set of Lego Masters and Marshburn addresses the contestants via a special downlink from the International Space Station.
The winning build will be put on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
Hollywood star Chris Pratt makes an appearance on the show, and Roy said she was a bit starstruck. And, there’s the host and producer of the show to also keep things interesting.
“Will Arnett is exactly what you would expect,” she said.
“He’s so funny. He’s just absolutely hilarious to be around and sometimes you kind of need that because you get really focused on what you’re building. And then it’s nice to have someone come over and joke around with you.”
She said it helps remind all the competitors that building Lego is actually fun, with or without the $100,000 win on the table.
Lego Masters Season 3 premieres Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. PT on FOX. New episodes air every Wednesday.
The competition is judged by Lego employees and expert brickmasters Jamie Berard and Amy Corbett.