ѻý

Skip to content

B.C. siblings compete in LEGO Masters TV contest

Now watching themselves in series on CTV

Itѻýs tough to be a television LEGO genius when Will Arnett is cracking you up on set, but that was the challenge for a brother-sister team from the Lower Mainland.

The Canadian actor who is known for his roles on Arrested Development and BoJack Horseman is the producer and host of LEGO Masters, a TV show that brings people with a passion for the iconic plastics bricks into a competition for a $100,000 prize.

David Guedes, 36, is a LEGO lifer who successfully auditioned for the show, and for his partner chose his sister Emily Guedes, 34. The show was finished shooting some six months ago, but theyѻýre just watching it now. Last Wednesday they saw the airing of their Week Three challenge ѻý to create a LEGO bull riding character to mount an actual mechanical bull.

They came up with Toby the Birthday Pig, who it turned out was not in the saddle for long.

ѻýNobody has ever done that before ѻý thatѻýs a crazy challenge,ѻý said Emily. ѻýTypically you donѻýt build LEGO to see it smashed.ѻý

The next episode, which airs on Oct. 12 on CTV, will see the contestants building a tree house, with their younger selves in mind, which must be built in real trees.

Theyѻýre not talking about how the series turns out, except to say that they had a great time.

ѻýThe people we met on the show are like family now,ѻý said Emily.

They were fans of Arrested Development, and of Canadian actor Will Arnett who played George Oscar Bluth.

ѻýHeѻýs exactly like that (character),ѻý said Emily. ѻýWe were laughing constantly.ѻý

David, now a Surrey resident, recalls their childhood in Maple Ridge with lots of LEGO in the scenes, starting with a big bucket of hand-me-down bricks when Emily was still just a baby.

Now she works as a nurse, and he is a Learning Centre Supervisor at Douglas College, but Lego has always been part of their lives. In 2016, David joined a BrickCon organization, for AFOLs (adult fans of LEGO).

ѻýItѻýs amazing their genius ideas, and the things they can create,ѻý he said.

Now he owns about two million bricks, and still loves to get yet another new LEGO box.

ѻýItѻýs like a LEGO store in his house,ѻý explained his sister.

Emily also still enjoys putting together LEGO sets, which she finds as therapeutic as other people do knitting or colouring.

ѻýThe puzzle aspect of it was always really fun to me,ѻý she said.

The LEGO-loving siblings found that during the challenge they could disagree, or one shoot down the otherѻýs ideas, without any bruised egos, bickering, or silent treatments.

ѻýSheѻýs a great teammate ѻý we get along better than anyone else,ѻý said David.

Now they are enjoying reliving the competition, as they watch it on television.

ѻýItѻýs almost like watching a memory bank,ѻý said Emily. ѻýWe were laughing all the time ѻý it was so much fun doing it.ѻý

David would encourage anyone thinking of an audition to get involved, and see how they stack up. He said most LEGO masters have some capacity for thinking like an engineer.

ѻýBut also being a little wacky is good.ѻý


Have a story tip? Email: ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
Like us on and follow us on .


Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
Read more



(or

ѻý

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }