When Carsten Jensen accompanied his mother on a flight back to her home in Denmark in 2020, he never could’ve imagined he’d be stuck living in her basement for four months due to the pandemic. But the situation had a silver lining – it was here the Aucklander rediscovered his childhood Lego, which had been left untouched for decades.
Carsten, 49, became so enthralled by the bricks that he applied to be on Lego Masters Denmark, but he just missed out on being cast, so a producer suggested the flight attendant apply for the Kiwi version.
He made the cut back home in New Zealand, but COVID caused his planned teammate to pull out, leading him to be paired with a stranger, Wellingtonian Lego enthusiast Angus Deacon, whose partner was also unable to take part.
Carsten (left) takes his hat off to his new buddy Angus.
This setback might have discouraged more fragile contestants, but all the upheavals are nothing compared to what Carsten went through after surgery for a back injury in 2015.
He tells, “I used to go to the gym for three hours a day, but it stopped my active life for almost a year. It was hard to accept the change. But I was determined to overcome my injury as quickly as possible, so I worked hard to get my strength back and accomplish my ultimate goal of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2017. It was definitely my toughest and biggest achievement, but also the most rewarding experience in my life.”
For Angus, 41, his hardest challenge is being a solo father to 10-year-old twins Ivy and Felix, while also running a full-time graphic-design business. By going on Lego Masters, he wants to show his kids it’s good to step out of your comfort zone.
“I wanted to challenge myself in the most extreme creative environment I could,” he says. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I was nervous. The things that I had built were small and almost all from instructions. Carsten creates amazing structures.”
But his teammate insists Angus’ storytelling is their team’s advantage. “I’m a foreigner,” says Carsten. “Angus can create a story that sounds amazing. We built this monster and he’s talking about a serpent. I have no idea what to say because that’s a word I’ve never come across.”
Being in separate cities means the men have not been able to build together since filming Lego Masters, but they’ve reminisced on the phone while watching the show. Carsten grins, “I can’t believe we got to do it. COVID closed one door, but another one opened.”
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