Dave and Richard on the Set! Photos Courtesy of FOX

Greetings LEGO fans! There’s a lot of excitement for the second season of LEGO Masters which premiered last week on FOX. Okay, so you saw the first season, what could be so interesting about this year? Well for me it’s personal because I actually know some of the contestants! BrickNerd’s own Maria Straatsma and her husband Philip (BrickNerd Contributor Emeritus) are on there, and so’s my old pal and LUG member Dave Kaleta. This season, Dave is paired up with his new buddy, Richard Dryden. (He used to write awesome things for another LEGO blog, but I’m not exactly sure if he still is…)

Anyway, after acquiring the appropriate background checks, security clearance, blood tests, COVID tests, of course, and psychological profiling (that was a close one!), I was able to sit down with Dave and Richard, plus a couple of producers, a stenographer, and a few other people who never said who they were but just sat in the corner…. Actually, no, I just sent a few emails, and they were kind enough to write back. So here we go!

NY Pizza Rules! Chicago Hot Dogs are Pretty Good too.

Bart: I loved that pizza and hot dog float from the first episode! I get the whole Chicago/New York thing because that’s where you guys are from. But why food? So it made me wonder about another related but very important question, how was the chow on set? Was it all sorts of fancy Hollywood stuff, and you guys were craving something from home? Were you able to snack as you built?

Dave: Richard and I spend a lot of time talking about food. We appreciate cooking good, healthy food for our families, but also know the best spots for a nosh in our neighborhoods. Since we filmed in Atlanta, a lot of the food had that distinct southern flavor and portions, so we were never hungry!

Richard: I enjoy cooking, just as much as I love eating a good meal. Even grocery shopping is an event for me! From the many times Dave and I cooked together after filming, we were always talking about some of our favorite restaurants or things we like to whip up in the kitchen. My curiosity for how things are made—whether it is food or building a LEGO set—is always at the forefront. In a way, they are more connected than I realized.

I didn’t think that deep about the food on set because when you’ve been building with tunnel vision, you just want nourishment. The Southern flare to our meals had enough variety and met any of our dietary needs or restrictions. Starting my mornings with a daily dose of McDonald’s oatmeal with fruit, nuts, honey and banana got me on the right track. The abundant supply of granola bars, chocolate, and trail mix were a huge help. If there was anything I craved, it was my own food whether it was a specialty cauliflower Indian dish I make, good NY pizza, or Jamaican home-cooking.

Dave Pitches an Idea, Richard Suddenly Remembers He Left the Iron On…

Bart: Personally, I do some of my best building after a drink or three. Did they have adult beverages? What was the protocol? Did you guys go out on the town during all this? With the other cast members? Hosts?

Richard: Water, Gatorade, coffee, tea or soda were the only beverages keeping us hydrated. I personally wouldn’t recommend an adult beverage while building on the clock with a fleet of cameras around, especially if you want to win. Over dinner with Dave, we weren’t limited to talking about challenges. Being dads, we have a well of stories about raising our sons, and adoring our wives. We were never short on conversation, drinks or food, it was always flowing.

Dave: When we had time away from building Richard and I liked to cook for each other. Nothing too fancy, but we always ate well, and of course there were appropriate pairings for each meal. We are both sports fans so we’d catch up on our favorite basketball and hockey games in our down time.

Dave and Richard Politely Paying Attention

Bart: Other than celebrity appearances on the show, which I assume there will be plenty this season, did you run into or get to meet any celebrities on the studio lot or around town? Or did anything funny happen while you guys were there?

Dave: I got to meet some of the greatest LEGO builders in the world—what’s better than that? We didn’t have a lot of time to be “on the town” but we formed some great friendships with the crew. It was great to meet these people who have worked in the industry for a long time or were brand new to it. I always like hearing people’s stories of how they ended up where they are. Asking lots of questions is the best way to get their stories. We found out one producer worked on The Price Is Right and he shared some real gems about emergency wardrobe changes for over-excited contestants!

Richard: In my time writing about the work of builders like Dave, reviewing his art is akin to reviewing a timeless album, which I have done a lot of in my professional life. So in some ways, he is a celebrity in his own right who has notoriety beyond this show. Then, seeing the camaraderie of other famous builders was also like star-gazing because they have cool stories presenting builds at conventions. Behind the scenes, there are lots of experienced people who’ve worked on major television shows like Dave said. They have seen it all! If I was ever worried about the swooshing of certain outfits because of the material, the sound department was well-equipped for any scenario having worked in more dramatic environments like Love and Hip-Hop.

Dave and Richard Plotting the Path to Victory!

Bart: The brick pit reportedly has five million bricks! How awesome is that? Granted that's a big number, but it's also divided by a lot of people. Were there any supply issues for certain pieces? How were they organized? I saw that there was a sorter per team. How'd that work?

Richard: The number of bricks didn’t really stun me. Anything more than what I have at home was going to be a shocker. I was more in awe at the organization of it all. I want the exact same setup as the show at home: from the storage containers to the bins mounted on the walls. It never seemed like we would run out of anything—until we were short on Technic pins and string with end stud elements. I got heavy into Mixels with my son when they dropped, so the show allowed me to renew my appreciation for Mixel ball joints. The endless supply of Dots really helped me with creating texture in letter design. I have so many more building techniques now because of my exposure to the brick pit.

Dave: At first I wasn’t that impressed by the brick pit—I felt like I had more variety of parts at home, but I soon realized that what you can see out on set was only a fraction of what was available! Certain challenges often led to a premium on elements—Mixel ball joints, large plates in certain colors, and Technic bricks were often in short supply. One thing I never expected was to have too few Technic pins, but sometimes it happened! The real joy was that there were SO many bricks, you never had to worry about running out of what you wanted and you could let your imagination run wild.

Bart: I've known Dave for years, and I'm familiar with his building style and skill set. And with every partnership, different people bring different things to the table. So, when it comes to building dead frogs and balloons, Dave's got those pretty well covered. Richard, what do you feel are your strengths in this duo? Do you like spaceships? We've got a lot of spaceship fans at BrickNerd. Well, me at least... Feel free to chime in on this, too, Dave.

Richard: I came into this experience wanting to learn how to build original, complex creations. Choosing Dave as my partner put him in a familiar role of teaching. Still, we couldn’t spend our entire time on tutorials; I had to implement those techniques very quickly. My independent spirit allowed me to take what Dave showed me and do it on my own so that we had a clear division of labor.

Being a writer informed a big part of my role on our team. I am used to analyzing characters, building or dissecting the layers to a story. I knew those skills would influence the storytelling aspect in each of the challenges.

Bart: (I pressed Richard on the issue of spaceships…. I needed a clear answer on this important issue.)

Richard: I do love spaceships. I want to build something big and original inspired by my love for M-Tron. Pretty much all the spaceships in M-Tron are simple, yet have ginormous wingspans. Dave made an incredible series of Alphabet Starships that are the absolute best ever. I think his concept was so strong that it set the tone for each ship in the fleet. So I need to come up with a theme that blends with intergalactic space travel. It’ll come to me sooner than later…

Bart: Excellent! That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes, in-depth stuff we’re all about here at BrickNerd! Okay, Dave, what do you have to add to this?

Dave: I’ve had a pretty long LEGO journey so far. Often I’d whisper to Richard, “I already built something like that, I'll show you later” when someone would show their build. But this was like nothing I’d ever experienced before—building on the clock requires a totally different way of thinking. Decide what is important, and be willing to scale back 80% on your ideas for time and bumps in the road.

Gentlemen, What You’re About To See Is Highly Classified…

Bart: For our readers at home, a lot of us wonder about the time commitment to a show like this. What kind of sacrifices, difficulties, logistics, family, work, or whatever did you have to deal with?

Dave: I ended up taking a leave of absence from my kindergarten teaching job. My school was very supportive of me, but we had to keep everything a secret, even from my students! The real trick was that my son is in my remote kindergarten class this year, but he kept it under wraps like a pro! Luckily my wonderful wife Devon held down the house with the help of my mom and her mom. Right before I left we completely cleaned the LEGO room so my son could build to keep himself busy. By the time I got back both tables and the entire floor were covered with his creations—think of all the sorting I have to do to get back to normal!

Richard: This is the first time in my adult life where I could completely devote all of my time to LEGO. It was the closest thing to being a kid again where I would just eat, sleep and play. Being on LEGO Masters is just one of the many curveballs my life has thrown me, but for the better. My freelance work as a writer and DJ has ebbed and flowed in the past few years, making my schedule pretty open to film. My family was supportive—as they always are—of my creative pursuits. My son is 11-years-old now, so he is more independent but still relies on me to be his go-to teammate to shoot hoops, play catch, or skateboard. I missed doing all of that with him. Even though the chef of the house was busy making a TV show, my wife Tiffany stepped up by juggling motherhood with her PR business and hammering out home decor projects. Our family is able to handle whatever is thrown at us, whether individually or collectively. This experience just reminded us again of our dedication to living our best life.

Bart: Thanks for the thoughtful answers, guys. Much appreciated! We’re all looking forward to the rest of the season and wish you both all the best!

So there you have it folks: a BrickNerd exclusive interview with two of this season’s promising contestants! Check your local listings, and set your DVR so you don’t miss a second!

How do you think the second season of LEGO Masters is shaping up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a patron to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.