When Lego Masters NZ competitors and best friends Emily Fryer and Sarah Mosley received the offer to compete in the Australian version of the show, the idea seemed too far-fetched to be real, so they assumed it must be a scam.
From fan to finalists
Luckily, Sarah threw caution to the wind – against Emily’s advice – and responded to the message. Now the pair are competing against some of the best teams from around the world for the title of Grand Masters of the Galaxy.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” tells Sarah, 43.
“When we got the call to say we were going, we were in shock.” Adds Emily, 44, “We were huge fans of the original season of Lego Masters Australia. If anyone had told us six years ago that we’d now be competing against the winners, we would have laughed at them.”
Sarah and Emily, who met when their eldest children were in primary school together, were runners-up in the first season of Lego Masters NZ, so they came in with strong credentials.
They entered the competition determined to finally bring home the win, but walking onto the set, and facing teams they had admired and fangirled over from international seasons, brought on a wave of imposter syndrome.
“We were in it to win,” insists Sarah.
“But the reality of it all hit when we got there. I thought, ‘What are we doing here?’ and I had a bit of a meltdown. I was crying my eyes out.” Adds Emily, “It’s a lot of expectation to represent your country. But Brickman [Lego Masters judge Ryan McNaught] was so lovely. He assured us that we deserved to be there.”
From mum mode to build mode
While there was no doubt in their minds they would say yes – they are already putting the request out to the universe to compete again – it was difficult to leave their families behind. Sarah has two children – Benji, 14, and Bethany, nine – and Emily has three, Olivia, 14, Imogen, 12, and Stuart, 10. Though their families are proud of them, both women admit the guilt of leaving their children for an unknown amount of time, and relying on their husbands and support networks to pick up the slack, was tough.
“When I told my daughter we got in, she burst into tears because she’s very attached to me,” tells dance teacher Sarah.
Emily adds, “They want us to win, but they also want us to be back home.”
Once the pair were away, they made the most of their temporary break from parenting duties.
“Everyone else would talk about the elaborate meals they were going to make at the end of the day,” laughs Sarah.
“But we were there without our families – we didn’t have to cook for anyone – so we were living it up. We would microwave Coles meals or eat out!”
Their success on the show is no surprise – their passion for Lego began long before their kids were interested.
Emily still remembers as a child when her mother tried to tell her she was too old to play with Lego. If anything, it strengthened her passion for the colourful blocks even more.
“When I turned 13, my mother told me I wasn’t allowed Lego any more.” Emily recalls.
“So I took my birthday money and bought it myself.”
Lego runs in the family
Chatting with the Weekly from Emily’s Christchurch home, the room behind them is filled with meticulously organised bins of brightly coloured bricks and whimsical Lego sculptures cover every
spare surface.
Emily, who works as a conservator at Canterbury Museum, has even started bringing Lego with her to her kids’ sports games and the odd social gathering. For some children, the idea of their parents being into Lego, let alone appearing on international television, might be cringe-worthy. But for Sarah and Emily’s families, it’s remained a shared passion. In fact, they may be raising the next generation of Lego Masters champions.
“It’s something we can do together as a family,” enthuses Emily.
“Our eldest are teenagers and even though they’re moving into that teenage world, they still like to do it.” Sarah proudly adds, “My son loves it and builds amazing things. He keeps telling me that in a few years, when he’s old enough, he’s going to enter the show!”
Lego Masters Australia: Grand Masters of the Galaxy screens Sundays at 7pm and Mondays at 7.30pm on Three, and streams on ThreeNow.
