Legoland California visitors got to see 30 two-person teams showcase their talents on Sunday as they built creative models to compete for a spot on the TV show “Lego Masters.”
For the first time since the reality competition premiered in 2020, viewers will be able to watch the audition process for the show, which is filming its sixth season. Filming took place this weekend at the Carlsbad theme park, also a first.
“We’ve been trying to work with ‘Lego Masters’ for years,” said Julie Estrada, a spokesperson for Legoland California. “It just seemed like a natural fit. We wouldn’t be Legoland without Lego.”
Middle, Christopher Rogers and Justin Quan build Lego figures during the “Lego Masters” competition at Legoland California on Sunday. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“Lego Masters” executive producer Michael Heyerman said they have always wanted to show viewers the Lego brick-building auditions. The plan is to air two episodes of auditions filmed at the park on the show’s next season, which is set to premiere next year, he said.
“We get a lot of amazing tapes and submissions of people wanting to be on the show, “ he said. “And for whatever reason, they don’t make the final cast, but there’s a great passion for Lego, and they are great characters, and we really just wanted to kind of peel back the curtain on… what that casting process is.”
During the so-called “Brick-Off,” park visitors could see what it was like to compete for a spot on the show. The two-person teams were split into two groups.
A contestant picks out Lego bricks during the “Lego Masters” competition at Legoland California on Sunday, June 22, 2025 in Carlsbad. The popular TV show features teams of two building Lego projects from a vast array of bricks and parts to meet both creative and practical goals set by the challenge for a particular episode. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The first group started with a prebuilt model of a cat and had to take it apart and turn it into a new creature.
Contestants let their imaginations shine as they searched through large bins of colorful blocks for the right pieces to add new elements to the cat, such as wings and other things.
The second group started out with a model of a “Mona Lisa.”
The top six teams of each group will compete on the show, organizers said.
Among those watching Sunday’s auditions was the new host of the show, Nick Cannon, an American actor, comedian, rapper and presenter who grew up in San Diego.
Host Nick Cannon, returning judge Amy Corbett and new judge and former contestant, Boone Langston on stage during the “Lego Masters” competition at Legoland California on Sunday in Carlsbad. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Throughout the day, hundreds of Lego fans viewed the audition, which took place outdoors in the Lego Movie World section of the park.
Daniela de la Puente, a 46-year-old annual pass holder from Tijuana, brought her 10-year-old son to watch the auditions because they are both big fans of the Fox network show. They found out about the filming through an email from the park.
De la Puente said what caught her attention most was the contestants’ creativity. She said she would like her son to learn to create his own Lego designs, too.
She shared that she used to play with Lego bricks as a child and now plays with them with her son. “These are interests that are passed through generations, ” she said.
Mike Sanborne cheers during the “Lego Masters” competition at Legoland California on Sunday. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Some of the Brick-Off contestants shared that their love for Lego bricks began with their families.
Cindy Zhan, 45, of Walnut, said that she started playing with Lego blocks about a decade ago when her oldest son was 3. Zhan, a stay-at-home mom, said she didn’t have the opportunity to play with the building toys growing up.
“It’s so much fun. You can build different things, and it opens up a whole new world for me,” she said.
One of her earlier creations, outside of Sunday’s competition, was a 5-by-10-foot model of the Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library. Zhan said that, whenever she displays her work, children approach her and ask if she would ever consider competing on “Lego Masters.”
“I learned that they were doing auditions, and that’s why I’m here,” she said.
A local contestant, Cooper Van Bonn, 20, said he has been building things since he was 3. The Rancho Bernardo man said he was excited to audition for the show.
“It’s been really exciting,” he said about the audition. “My favorite thing is that I have met so many amazing people. I know that no matter what happens, I have made friends for life.”
Originally Published: June 22, 2025 at 8:07 PM PDT