Hudson's resident Lego Master has brought her game to Fox television series

HUDSON — As a child, Lego was not Liz Puleo's hobby.

"I've been around Lego my entire life, but when I was little they were not mine — they were my older brother's," Puleo said. "I always liked it, and I'd play with it (and) I'd get yelled at because they were his."

Puleo had other creative outlets, including crocheting, cake decorating, painting and cross-stitching. But the allure of Lego remained, so when her own children began showing interest, the spark for creativity and design with Lego bricks was reignited.

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"My daughter started getting into it, and then my son, who is autistic, it became his hyper-focus for life," Puleo said. "Anytime we needed to bribe him to do something, we'd use Lego. I ended up being the default builder, so I would be up sometimes until 2 in the morning building things."

While it started as a way to bond with her children, Puleo soon realized she was developing her own enthusiasm for the projects. She began spending time online and in person with other AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego), discovering a new horizon for her passion.

"I couldn't justify it myself, but my husband for one year bought me the Disney castle (Lego set) for Christmas," the Hudson resident said. "My mom actually ended up getting the same set for my brother, so we both got the same thing for Christmas.

"That was pretty funny."

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Puleo's passion for Lego has taken her all the way to network television, as she is currently competing in the Fox television series "Lego Masters." The show, hosted by actor and comedian Will Arnett and in its third season, invites competitive Lego builders from throughout the country to engage in a creative competition that tests their building abilities. The top prize is $100,000.

"I love competition," Puleo said. "I thrive under pressure. All of my builds that I won for competitions, I didn't do them until the last minute, because if I have too much time, I will get overwhelmed and second-guess and it will never get done. I was excited for the competition, I wanted that challenge because I think that is where my creativity comes out."

Liz Puleo, of Hudson, a contestant on the Fox television show "Lego Masters," views a recording of one of the shows in the family basement, Oct. 3, 2022.
Liz Puleo, of Hudson, a contestant on the Fox television show "Lego Masters," views a recording of one of the shows in the family basement, Oct. 3, 2022.

Puleo said she got on the radar for the show after she won a Lego building competition by constructing an original design of Elsa's castle, from the Disney movie "Frozen."

"I won my first big prize at a convention — I came out of the blue and took them by storm, and I've never stopped," Puleo said. "I built Elsa's castle, with lights, and I put Elsa on a motor to make it so that she was lighting up the castle with her ice magic.

"I also dressed up as Elsa for the competition, which was hysterical."

An invitation to compete

Puleo interacted with representatives of "Lego Masters," and they showed interest in her as a future contestant.

"They were so nice, and they said they needed more women in the Lego world, because there really isn't a lot," Pukeo said. "They said they wanted people who weren't afraid of new ideas, or were willing to dress up and not to hide their passion."

"Lego Masters" producers first contacted Puleo to appear on Season 2, but she declined because she still felt inexperienced. But when they came calling again for Season 3, she decided to do it.

Liz Puleo, second from left, a contestant on the Fox television show "Lego Masters," views a recording of a show in the family basement, Oct. 3, 2022. With her are other members of her family, from left, daughter Julianna, 11; son Benjamin, 9; and husband Marc.
Liz Puleo, second from left, a contestant on the Fox television show "Lego Masters," views a recording of a show in the family basement, Oct. 3, 2022. With her are other members of her family, from left, daughter Julianna, 11; son Benjamin, 9; and husband Marc.

But she needed to find a partner.

Puleo reached out to Erin Laundry, a Pittsfield resident whom she met through Ladies Lego Lounge, an online group for women Lego builders.

"I asked her to audition for this crazy show, and she said, 'Absolutely, I tried to audition last year but my husband wasn't interested.' So it ended up being perfect," Puleo said.

For the first episode of "Lego Masters," the pair was tasked with building a spaceship that also represented themselves.

"It was a challenge, because I had never really built a spaceship before — I do mountains and landscaping and nature builds," Puleo said. "This was a huge challenge right off the bat."

The Puleo family is passionate about Legos, as indicated in this photo of their basement, Oct. 3, 2022.
The Puleo family is passionate about Legos, as indicated in this photo of their basement, Oct. 3, 2022.

However, the duo rallied around a shared interest in music (Puleo is a music teacher at Mountview Middle School in Holden) and built a ukulele-shaped rocket ship that was good enough to see them through to the next episode.

For the second episode, the team successfully built a Jurassic Park-themed explosion as part of a challenge involving "Jurassic World" star Chris Pratt, which saw them through to the third episode, which airs at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

For Puleo's family, her remarkable journey from a mom helping her children to network television personality has been stunning.

Benjamin Puleo, 9, of Hudson, looks at a "sigfig" signature miniature figure of his mom, Liz, who is on the Fox television show "Lego Masters," Oct. 3, 2022.
Benjamin Puleo, 9, of Hudson, looks at a "sigfig" signature miniature figure of his mom, Liz, who is on the Fox television show "Lego Masters," Oct. 3, 2022.

"It's been a crazy journey, it started with her buying a couple of (Lego) sets and soon she was going to audition for the show and now she is on TV," said her husband, Marc Puleo.

As for her children, Julianna, 11, and Benjamin, 9, their mom has become a TV star.

"All of my friends watch the show," Julianna said.

Benjamin has been handing out stickers of his mother in Lego form to classmates.

Liz Puleo, right, of Hudson competes in a competition with her friend Erin Laundry on "Lego Masters," a television show on Fox that pits Lego builders against one another.
Liz Puleo, right, of Hudson competes in a competition with her friend Erin Laundry on "Lego Masters," a television show on Fox that pits Lego builders against one another.

"We are going to need a refill on stickers," he said.

The basement of the Puleo home is filled with various projects being undertaken by each family member. What started as a hobby has turned into a personal passion, and it still unites the family for evening builds.

"When the bricks stick, it's how my family sticks," Puleo said.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Lego building takes Hudson woman to Fox television show