Married pair Rachel & Jason
Bullied at school, Christchurch’s Rachel de Vries, 38, grew up timid and afraid of what people thought of her. But then, 19 years ago, she met her now-husband Jason, 44, while ice-skating and he introduced her to Lego – something he’d been passionate about since he was a child. “Lego building has given me a career and a great creative outlet,” says Rachel, who now runs a Lego- based events business. “It has also built my confidence and helped me to break free from my natural shyness.” Although Jason jokes, “It took Rachel six years of marriage to understand just how amazing Lego building really is!” He says
the hobby is “really important to me in maintaining mental health”.
Best mates Andrew & Harry
Both 25 and life-long Lego fans, Andrew Battley and Harry Duncan first met while hiking the Abel Tasman Coast Track with their big brothers just before starting high school. They went on to study mechanical engineering at the University of Auckland. Harry says, “Somehow, after a degree’s worth of group projects, we’ve managed to still like each other enough to want to do another, but now televised and under enormous time pressure!” Both blokes credit Lego with getting them into science and engineering, with Andrew adding, “Something about the inherent humour in Lego has always gelled with my personality. It remains my favourite way to have fun.”
Super siblings Oli & Charlie
Growing up, Oli Mollard had twin obsessions – Lego and reality TV. “As a kid, I wanted to be on Survivor, Wipeout and The Amazing Race,” tells the 21-year-old Wellingtonian, who is nonbinary. “A game show involving Lego was a dream come true.” A fan of the Aussie series, Oli was waiting until brother Charlie turned 18 so they could apply for Lego Masters Australia when the Kiwi version was announced. Palmerston North-based Charlie, 19, adds, “Due to my dramatic side, my family always joked about me being a reality star!” The siblings are currently building their own Lego city called Choliwood, which they started 10 years ago. Oli says, “Sorry for taking over your house, Mum and Dad!”
Proud parents Llewe & Amy
Lower Hutt’s Amy Jennings loved Lego as a kid, but she only got into it as an adult after she and her partner Llewe Jones stumbled across her old childhood sets. She recalls, “They were sitting in the back of my mum’s wardrobe and we got back into it – spaceships, trains and buildings!” The pair, who met in 2004 and are now parents to two young children, went on to get involved in their local Lego club. Amy, 40, says, “I love having a hobby I can share with my partner. It’s the one thing we do to share quality time together as a family. We lose hours in the planning and building.” Llewe, 40, adds, “Having kids has changed the way I build. Kids are so creative and come up with different ways of looking at things.”
Mum & son Henny & Pieter
When Dunedin mum Hendrika Dennison bought her son Pieter his first Lego set at the age of four, she never dreamed it would lead to becoming a reality TV star! As a teenager, Pieter started building his own designs and Henny, 66, began taking him to Lego displays throughout the South Island. She recalls, “It wasn’t until my first Lego show in Gore that I realised how much you can do with the bricks. Now I build my own creations.” When it came to Lego Masters, Pieter, 26, says, “Mum was hesitant to apply, but I convinced her – I really wanted to visit the brick pit!” His proudest creation is a scale model of the Dunedin Railway Station, which took five years.
New alliance Carsten & Angus
Born in Denmark, the home of Lego, appearing on this show was a dream come true for Aucklander Carsten Jensen, but then his teammate pulled out for personal reasons. Carsten, 49, tells, “I was really sad as I thought my chance to be part of Lego Masters had ended, but I was lucky enough to be partnered up with Angus and after a few Zoom chats, we became a new team.” A single father from Wellington, whose original teammate also quit, Angus Deacon, 41, says, “We have very different styles, but we can’t wait to see how our skills come together. Whether we gel could be the deciding factor if we can avoid elimination.”
