BZPower Staff Member Nuju Metru (Aaron) is a contestant on the upcoming LEGO Masters reality show on Fox, airing February 5. Aaron is one-half of the building team "Clark Kent and Superman," partnering up with his friend Christian for the competition. We were able to talk with Aaron about his experience getting onto the show and being part of something so exciting. We stray from spoiler (and NDA) territory today, but Aaron has given us an in-depth look at what it was like to be on the show. Read on to see just what he has to say.

Aaron's builds can be found on his blog Aaron Brick Designer and Christian's on his Flickr. Photos here provided by Fox.

BZP: How did you hear about LEGO Masters? Did you apply or were you approached?

Aaron: A bit of both! I found out about the LEGO Masters' USA casting call through an announcement on some fan site or another, and knew at once I wanted to audition for it. I was tremendously excited to pursue the opportunity. It truly felt like something I was "built" to do! So I wasted no time in applying... I think I submitted my hefty application within a week of the announcement. Even before I'd sent it in, though, I also got approached by a few casting associates via various social media. I was flattered and heartened that the show's team was so interested in bringing me and my work to this huge platform.

What was the application process like, from the first forms to trying out for the competition?

For me, the casting process was really long— mostly because I put myself in the applicant pool so early! The time between when I submitted my first form to the time Christian and I got cast was more than three months. We submitted all kinds of materials, from pictures of us and our builds, to short-answer questions, to videos of ourselves talking on camera. As we got further and further into the casting, we started doing stuff like Skype interviews with casting people, supplemental Q&As, and even a background check! Standard stuff for reality shows, I'm told.

Production held a final casting event several weeks before the start of shooting. The LEGO Masters team flew the most promising prospective applicants, including me, to Los Angeles for a weekend. There—in a hotel conference room, of all places!—we all got handed a ton of LEGO. We were instructed to build for a few prompts, under time constraints, while cameras roved between all the different teams. It was a really thrilling time for me, and the first occasion when I met many of the people who'd become my future castmates.

How do you know your build partner, Christian?

Christian and I met through the LEGO Fan community. He's a regular attendee at Brickfair Virginia, one of my favorite fan conventions, and we also knew each others' work through digital platforms like Flickr. Christian lives in Kentucky, and he's a member of the national guard down there... meanwhile, I'm a teacher who lives in New Hampshire. We might never have met or became friends had it not been for our shared love of LEGO!

What's his building style like compared to yours?

Christian and I have some awesomely complementary strengths. While I specialize in building creatures, architecture, and mechanisms, Christian excels with vehicles, landscaping, and minifigure vignettes. It's such a joy to build with Christian, because he'll think of stuff I may never have thought to do, just based on our perspectives and styles being different. He and I also complement each other in terms of our personalities and energies. I can be more effusive and ebullient, but also sometimes more sensitive; I feel things deeply and presently, for better and worse. Christian, due largely to his military training, has a more level-headed outlook and radiates stability. When we're building, we tend to trade off the role of hype-man, each taking turns to support the other person.

What made you two team up?

We just seemed like too good of a fit to pass up! And I'm so grateful to have had Christian as my partner in this experience.

What was it like being on the show, from the energy in the room with a bunch of AFOLs to your own personal excitement?

Being on LEGO Masters was the most amazing time. A huge part of why that was came down to the other people in the room. Our cast was full of the most gifted, creative, passionate, hilarious, generous, artistic AFOLs around. Getting to share the build room with them, to look one way or another and see staggeringly cool creations shaping up on every side, felt thrilling (and sometimes intimidating!). Beyond all this, we shot for countless hours a day together, shared meals, shared laughs; we couldn't help but became a family, honestly. Getting to count myself as one of this cast is an honor I'll cherish forever.

For myself personally, this competition was a unique, once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience... I felt the biggest emotions ever during my time on LEGO Masters. It was a gift to be there, and a hugely growthful time for me as well. I'm excited for everyone to get to follow us on our journey soon.

Did you sneak BIONICLE pieces into any of your builds?

If we'd had access to any, I sure would have! Somehow, even with 3,000,000+ parts at our fingertips, there was nary a BIONICLE part to be seen! But I carry my BIONICLE love everywhere I go, and like to think that a lot of my attitudes towards building come from my BIONICLE roots.

Thank you to Aaron for giving his time to chat, and Fox for the photos. Hopefully we'll talk to Aaron after a few episodes so we can really dig into the meat of the show. Speak up in the talkback if there's anything you'd like to know.

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