It’s always special to reconnect with alumni and see where their paths have led. For Ben Grayson (shown on the left), creativity began long before architecture school—creating with LEGO and dreaming up new worlds one piece at a time with his brother Michael (on the right). His time at Ball State helped refine how he communicates design language and sees the world around him. Today, that same curiosity and creativity carried him all the way to the national stage as a contestant on FOX’s LEGO Masters, where he and his brother faced all challenges that the show had to offer.

After earning his Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 2021, Ben worked for four years as an architectural designer at Gray Organschi Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut. In 2025, he took a leap of faith—leaving the profession to launch his own LEGO-centered business where he will be partnering with a company to design custom kits using genuine LEGO elements, creating large-scale custom builds, as well as interviewing high-level builders within the LEGO community. We caught up with Ben to hear about his experience competing on LEGO Masters in this Q&A session.

What was the audition like for FOX’s LEGO Masters?

The audition process for getting onto the show takes place in a variety of ways. Yes, there are online applications and MOC (My-Own-Custom) photos you can share, and agents will reach out to builders via platforms like Instagram, but my story was different.

I was approached while helping set up the greatest collaborative LEGO project of our time, known as New Hashima, at Brickworld Chicago 2023 along with 80 other high-level builders from seven different countries.

Led by incredible builders and leaders within the LEGO community, Stefan Formentano, Simon Liu, Michael Willhoit, and Mason Ricks were a few of the masterminds behind New Hashima. While doing so, I was approached by two individuals who asked if I would ever partake in the show. At this point, I thought nothing of it. I actually said “no, I am not interested.” They inquired further, asking if I were given the chance would I, to which I responded with, “Yeah, the challenges would be fun to try.” We then said our thanks and parted ways. I thought nothing more of it, as we continued the set-up process for New Hasima which took three full days.

Following New Hashima and Brickworld Chicago, some agents reached out to me about being on the show, where I went through the application process and shared a portfolio of my LEGO builds.

It was not until arriving at the filming location that I realized who the two individuals were who had approached me earlier, Pip Wells and Brent Benedetti, the executive director and challenge director for LEGO Masters! Realizing who they were was incredibly exciting. (It’s even more a lesson to always be on your best behavior, sometimes I’m decent at that).

What was it like to be on LEGO Masters?

LEGO Masters consists of 10 challenges, each of which is typically an elimination challenge leaving the three final teams to create what is known as “a Master Build;” a final build on the show of whatever they choose to showcase their talents.

Almost every build portion of a challenge on the show was filmed within a single day as to not give contestants the chance in the off time to brush up on techniques, brainstorm even more, or rethink their builds overnight. The high intensity of the builds being created within the given time is real, and that time is all you have. Even if a build is going smoothly, the timing is still intense. If issues arise, it’s up to the builders to solve those problems within that time frame and this is where the stress really kicks in.

Each day all remaining contestants would be driven from our lodging over to the set, where the hair and makeup team would get to work making us look camera-ready with our assigned outfits from the wardrobe department. Luckily, it did not take long for them to tidy my hair and trim my mustache. Never had I experienced someone looking so intently at my mustache with tiny scissors a few inches from my face. Only after that, did the day begin. A day on set could be filming a full challenge, judging the challenge from the prior day, or answering the interview segment of questions from a prior episode as if the events were happening in real time. Each week we would film episodes Monday through Friday, then do the interview segments on Saturday which were typically an hour’s worth of recapping per team per episode.

When first getting onto set, it was kind of overwhelming not knowing where specific LEGO elements were located throughout the Brick Pit. However, once I figured out the layout of where each part was, we were off and moving by the end of the second episode.  Despite the Brick Pit being massive, some types of elements were more sparse than others while I have a much larger variety at home. Part types selected to be in the brick pit are to push your brick sculpting abilities and incorporate loads of power functions into those builds!

Once the building of a challenge commenced, the environment was tense with each pair of builders heavily focused and running to and from the Brick Pit. That part was obviously shown, but dodging 8 moving cameras, multiple crew members, along with a suspended camera on a crane made those trips to and from the Brick Pit difficult. I got close to cracking my head on the Jib (Crane arm) a couple of times. With all the teams, and people involved in the production, the studio would be absolutely packed!

Participating on LEGO Masters with my brother Michael was an unforgettable experience. In our adult lives, we had both become busy with work and other responsibilities, and although we made time to stay in touch, the show gave us a rare opportunity to spend extended time together—building, creating, and reconnecting over something we used to do together. It was an incredible experience from start to finish working side by side in the massive Brick Pit, seeing the impressive behind-the-scenes production, and getting to know the talented crew who made it all possible. While there were many amazing aspects of being part of the show, what I value most is the time shared with my brother and the memories we built together.

Which was your favorite build, during the LEGO Masters competition?

My favorite build was “Brobot’s Odyssey” for the finale’s 18-hour-long Master Build challenge. It depicts the story of Brobot reaching a crystal oracle that reveals the emotions he will face on his journey: Joy, Anger, and Despair, each represented by differently colored versions of himself spinning within the lower three spires. The top central eye reveals that his hardships are far from over, and to never forget the joy a new journey can reveal.

Michael and I designed a sci-fi landscape with floating rock spires, glowing green waterways, and abysmal foliage, hinting at a story and larger world beyond the build. We considered including ourselves in the build, but Brobot became a central character symbolizing our shared experiences on the show. We chose “Odyssey” to suggest this is just one chapter in a larger journey, reflecting the unknown adventures that lie ahead in our own lives.

Which was the hardest challenge on LEGO Masters?

The toughest was the “Is It Brick?” challenge, which required contestants to build a one-to-one replica of a 90s-themed object so realistic it could be mistaken for the original. The challenge came from the limited time on the build, as well as choosing an object that had some complex curvature to its body. We chose to build a life-sized yellow electric guitar and ended up rebuilding the body three times during the eight-hour challenge. The third iteration is the one you see pictured (left), while the prior two were not shown in the episode. Despite the stress, we finished strong and earned second place on that challenge!

Did your architecture degree help with building?

Definitely. Architecture school taught me about hierarchy, design language, and composition—all skills I use when creating LEGO builds. My education also shaped how I present and talk about my work. Both architecture and LEGO rely on different design thinking while each pulls from very different elements.

While watching the show, I noticed an episode that reminded me of a project CAP has done. Would you agree?

Yes, CAP’s first-year design program has had a project similar to the LEGO challenge called the “Great Ball Contraption,” or GBC. In this exercise, first-year students collaborate to design interconnected models to move ping pong balls seamlessly from one team’s section to the next. Rather than gravity-powered systems, LEGO creations rely on motors and mechanisms to transport LEGO balls through each team’s build.

The “Great Ball Contraption” challenge was my first time creating a GBC build. The challenge was to use different modes of motion to lift and move the balls from start to finish. We included four different mechanisms in our story of “The Lost Meatball” as it rolled across a kitchen counter. While first-year students are not telling stories of meatballs, their project follows the same idea as LEGO Masters, each team’s ball contraption is supposed to feed into the next person’s so that ping pong balls could make it from start to finish.

LEGO and architecture may seem like individual design focuses, but when teams of creatives work together in either field, the final products are much more impressive. Community in design is immensely important!

“LEGO is not just about building your own thing, and architecture is not about one master designer. In design everywhere, teams of people work together to create magnificent products that no single person could have made on their own. After all, the real MOCs are the friends along the way.”

Though Ben and Michael didn’t take home the top prize, finishing second on LEGO Masters was an unforgettable experience. From Ben’s earliest LEGO creations to being immersed in the world of architecture at Ball State, his journey has been one of passion, creativity, and community.

 

LEGO Masters is now streaming on HULU and FOX ONE.