Springfield man competes on season three of 'LEGO MASTERS,' alongside brother

Growing up, brothers Brendan and Greg Tull loved building things with LEGOS, now they are getting the chance to show off their hobby for a national audience.

The Tull brothers were two of the original 24 contestants who competed on season three of "LEGO MASTERS," which airs each Wednesday at 8 p.m. on FOX. Throughout the season, teams of two compete against others in "brick-building challenges." Actor Will Arnett is the show's recurring host.

Without spoiling anything, it's safe to say Brendan and Greg are still in the running, as they survived elimination in episode three, which aired last week.

Brendan said the two played with LEGOS as a kid, as they both enjoyed creative, constructive hobbies.

Greg went on to co-own Monitogo Studios based in southwest Missouri, before moving to Massachusetts, where he is now stationed in the Coast Guard. Through Monitogo Studios he created LEGO-based stop motion films like "Bound," which is nearly 50 minutes.

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Brendan said he had more of an interest in digital LEGO design, which led to his current career in web development. Brendan resides in Springfield.

Despite their different paths, both brothers got involved in the Adult Fan of LEGO community, or AFOL for short. Brendan said he attended Brickworld Chicago a few years ago, which was a memorable experience. Brickworld Chicago is one of several nationwide LEGO conventions.

How Brendan and Greg Tull got on 'LEGO MASTERS'

Brendan recalled first learning about "LEGO MASTERS" while watching the Super Bowl with family.

"I saw a commercial for ('LEGO MASTERS') that aired during the Super Bowl in 2020 at a family event and some family members were like, 'Oh yeah, you and Greg should do that, you guys are big LEGO fans,'" Brendan said. "(Greg and I) were like, 'Maybe we should.' The rest is history."

The brothers actually applied and auditioned for season two of the show. After casting finals, they were notified that they had made the cut. Unfortunately, Brendan tested positive for COVID-19 right before filming, so they had to bow out.

When casting began for season three, the two applied again.

"The first time around, we were really excited, it was kind of surreal," Brendan said. "We had come all this way and through all the different steps of the application. But the second time around, it was a little like going through the motions, because we did this process before, so we were less surprised at that point."

Nonetheless, the two were excited to finally get on set.

As of Thursday, Brendan said one of his favorite builds from the three episodes that have aired so far, was from episode three, "Brickin' Bull Ride Rodeo." Contestants were asked to create a build that could ride on a mechanical bull. Brendan and Greg built an alien-type character with tentacles.

"The special thing that we did was we actually created a pivot in the waist of this character, which allowed her to kind of absorb some of the motion of the bull," Brendan said. "That was something no one else did. We pushed ourselves to the next level with that challenge."

Brendan said he loves LEGOS because of their flexibility, yet precision.

"(LEGOS have) that flexibility, they have that creativity, but at the same time, (LEGOS have) certain restraints that keep it precise," he said.

When it comes to his all-time favorite brick, Brendan described a small, curved brick that is probably a 1-2 size.

"It's a small, little piece that you can do a lot with, especially to add a gentle curve or a certain level of smooth polish," he said. "I like pieces like that, that really kind of expand the system beyond just your square bricks, but they're small enough and simple enough that you can use them in a variety of ways to take your builds to the next level."

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How to watch Brendan and Greg Tull on 'LEGO MASTERS'

"LEGO MASTERS" airs each Wednesday at 8 p.m. on FOX. Episodes are also available to stream on Hulu the day after they air and online for free at fox.com/lego-masters/.

Episode four airs Wednesday, Oct. 12. In this episode, contestants will be asked to build a LEGO treehouse in real trees with no built-in-support. Contestants will have 10 hours to complete the build.

"LEGO MASTERS" first aired in February 2020, and season three premiered in September this year. The show's available supply includes more than five million LEGO pieces, weighing about 22,000 pounds in total.

According to Emily Bruno, H+M Communications associate account executive, it takes a team of 14 people over 12 hours to break down one episode's builds, then sterilize and sort all of the pieces.