The fifth season of Australian reality television series Lego Masters, titled Lego Masters: Grand Masters, began airing on 10 April 2023.[1] Unlike previous series’, eight teams returned from previous seasons to compete. Hamish Blake returned as host along with Ryan "The Brickman" McNaught as judge.[2] The eight teams battle it out to win the title of Australia's LEGO Master and a prize of $100,000.[3]
Production
In September 2022, the series was renewed by Nine for a fifth, “All-stars” season, titled Lego Masters: Grand Masters, which had returning contestants from each previous season.[4][5] The contestants were announced on 28 March 2023 and premiered on 10 April 2023.[3]
Challenge: "City In The Sky" Each of the eight teams has 14 hours to create a model of a world / civilisation on a disk hung by a single cable from the ceiling.
Advantage: Each of the first three builds will be scored out of 20 points by Brickman in order to determine the winner of the immunity brick.
Challenge:"Over the Falls" Each of the eight teams has six hours to create a build which tells a story both as it goes over the edge of a waterfall, and as it crashes on the rocks below.
Advantage: Each team will receive another score out of 20 by Brickman in order to determine the winner of the immunity brick.
Challenge:"Greatest Lego Mystery: Real or Lego?" Each of the eight teams has 10 hours to recreate a real-world item from the "Blake & Brickman Detective Agency" set piece (an office full of Film noir items). Each team chooses one real item and the Lego item will replace it. A guest judge, Sophie Monk, has one minute to decide which items are real and which are Lego while examining the set from a distance. An extra three points are available if the guest judge is fooled.
Advantage: Each team will receive another score out of 20 by Brickman, more points available for more difficult items, and the team with the highest score over the first three builds will receive the immunity brick, The Grand Brick.
Advantage Challenge "Roller Coaster Car": The first elimination challenge sees the contestants complete a two-part Theme Park challenge. In the first part, each of the eight teams has two hours, to construct a roller coaster car. In order to gain the advantage in the second part, the car must travel successfully around a roller coaster track. The winner of the advantage challenge choose their lot for the elimination challenge and the lots for all the other teams.
Elimination Challenge "Theme Park": The eight teams have 12 hours to complete one section of the theme park all linked by the roller coaster track. The team that won the advantage have their cart equipped with a camera to tour the entire theme park. The challenge is judged both from the aesthetics and construction as viewed from the outside and the point of view of a camera attached to the roller coaster.
Challenge "Conspiracy Theories": The teams have 10 hours to create a story about a well-known secret trope, mystery, or conspiracy theory out of Lego. The build will be boxed in a wooden crate and revealed for judging. Dr Karl appears as a special guest.
Advantage: The teams were not told if the build was an elimination build, the Grand Brick is passed to the new winner.
Advantage Challenge "Space": The seven teams have three hours to build something that makes sense on the top of a rocket, weighs no more than 350g, and tells a story as it returns to earth on a parachute. Each build is judged out of 10 points by Brickman and a bonus point for "flair" is awarded by Hamish Blake. NPU (Nice Part Usage) is key to this build. The team that wins this are given 1/2 hour of Brickman's technical expertise for the Elimination Challenge.
Elimination Challenge "Great Ball Contraption": The seven teams have 10 hours to build a section of a great ball contraption, all linked. If the ball does not pass through a build, that team is up for elimination. Story telling is the main criterion for judgement.
Challenge "Disney": The six teams have ten hours to create a storytelling, emotional scene from an iconic animated Disney film (as part of the 100th Anniversary of Disney)—the teams were given six choices of films. No moving parts or mechanisms were allowed. The team with the Grand Brick, David & Gus, chose the films for all the teams.
Advantage: The teams were not told if the build was an elimination build, the Grand Brick is passed to the new winner.
Challenge "Explosion in Motion": The six teams have nine hours to build something that has motion in it and will explode using three explosive charges. A Hollywood-style story must be told with the build and explosions.
Advantage: The teams were not told if the build was an elimination build, the Grand Brick is passed to the new winner.
Challenge "The Heist": The six remaining Grand Masters teams have 14 hours to build their own portion of a city-wide heist, based on a blueprint map, taking place in minifigure scale. The previous winners, Scott & Owen, chose first and assigned the remainder of the sections of the city to the rest of the teams.
Advantage: The teams were not told if the build was an elimination build, the Grand Brick is passed to the new winners.
Team
Lego Design
Result
Scott & Owen
Train Station "Victorian Royal Train Heist"
Winner
Joss & Henry
Jewellers "Family Jewels by 1920s Gangsters Car Smash"
Challenge "Best of the Best": The remaining five teams had 10 hours to build a design assigned from the best challenges from the previous four seasons, competing against the winning builds from that original challenge. The previous winners, Scott & Owen, selected their preferred challenge and assigned challenges for the other teams.
Advantage: The Grand Brick is passed to the new winners, who advance through to Finals Week.
Challenge "Cliff Hanger": The teams were given 12 hours to build a mountain dwelling off a pre-constructed lego cliff attached by six technic studs. Teams were told it was an elimination challenge. There was a Hamish Blake bonus point for the build that came out the furthest from the cliff face. Joss and Henry, the previous winners, chose their minifig first and assigned the minifigs to the remaining teams.
Team
Minifig - Lego Design
Result - Distance
Scott & Owen
Ice Queen - "Ice Queen vs Lava Monster" with Ice Castle
Winner - 2.18m
Caleb & Alex
Samurai - "Samurai Battle" with Castle and Dragon
Safe - 1.20m
Joss & Henry
Wizard - "The Wizard's Farm" on Floating Islands with a Griffin Stealing Sheep
Immunity - 0.63m
Ryan & Gabby
Alpine Girl - "Heidi From the Hills" Riding a Goose, Landing on a Stone Hands with Chalet in Background
Safe - 1.29m
Andrew & Damian
Spaceman - "Space Race"
Eliminated - 2.31m
Challenge 13
Airdate - 7 May 2023
Challenge "Jumper": In the penultimate challenge of LEGO Grand Masters, the four teams have 16 hours to build a 'jumper' or replacement carousel horse that is part of a real carousel at Sydney's Luna Park.
Team
Lego Design
Result
Caleb & Alex
Croc in a Bathtub
Winner
Joss & Henry
Seahorse
Top Two
Scott & Owen
Honey Bee
Bottom Two
Ryan & Gabby
Butterfly Librarian
Eliminated
Grand Finale
Airdate - 8 May 2023
Challenge "Grand Finale": The teams are given 28 hours to build something of their own choice yet still needing to adhere to the criteria of technical skills, story-telling elements and overall aesthetic. The Team with the most votes is crowned LEGO Masters: Grand Master champions and claim the $100,000 prize.
Voting & Judgment: 200 members of the public judged the builds, assigning their Black Bricks worth 1 vote to whichever model they liked most. Completing the vote, Brickman awards the Grand Brick worth 100 votes, while Hamish awards 1/2 vote with the Beige Brick.
