The Glendale Star
22
March 3, 2022
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Glendale residents take on ‘Domino Masters’ BY ANNIKA TOMLIN Glendale Star Staff
Gloria Robinson grew up with a special needs sister who doesn’t hear or speak, so she bored easily, she said. What connected them was a love of dominoes. “(My sister) loved heavy smooth things and still does to this day, and we used to set up dominoes and do topplings with her all of the time,” Robinson said. “I’ve had a lot of experience with topplings, not to this extent, but it just grew from there.” Glendale couple Robinson and Robert Dehate are taking their love of dominoes to Fox’s new show “Domino Masters,” which premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 9. Hosted by Eric Stonestreet, “Domino Masters” features domino enthusiasts going head to head in a toppling tournament. Stonestreet is joined by judges, including Danica McKellar, Vernon Davis and professional domino artist Steve Price. Sixteen skilled trios compete in building challenges to be crowned the country’s most talented amateur domino topplers. In each episode, the teams are given a theme and custom elements to incorporate into their topple. In the finals, the top teams face off for a cash prize, the trophy and the title of domino masters. Dehate recalled, “Growing up with three older brothers and being active children without internet, we entertained ourselves. We always played with dominoes, but back then they were just the gaming dominoes with the little dots on them and you only had a short amount of them. “Nowadays to the advent of Amazon and other things, you can buy thousands of them and you can make some really nice geometric patterns.” A couple of 13 years, Dehate and Robinson run Animal Motor Works. Dehate, a self-proclaimed “math nerd,” said his ability to create rockets for
they were amazed as a couple that we got along so well. We really enjoy our time together.” The trio was rounded out with California native Richard “Rick” Mascheck, and they dubbed themselves Rocket Science, inspired by the couple’s rocket business. (Above)“Domino Masters” team Rocket Science is Glendale residents Gloria Robinson and Robert Dehate, along “We had to do many with California native Richard “Rick” Mascheck. (Right) It many topplings and vidtook team Rocket Science the full 16 hours to create their build on “Domino Masters.” (Photos by Ray Mickshaw/FOX) eo submissions to send them all in,” Robinson Animal Motor Works helped with the said about the process to get on the “Domino Masters” appearance. show. “That was during COVID that “I like to calculate the math coeffi- all of that was going on, so it was good cients for the rockets and the different because we had plenty of time to put toattributes of the rocket that you cal- ward doing topplings and sending vidculate,” Dehate said. “The geometric eos in. It was quite a lengthy process.” patterns that you put together with the Dehate hails from California but dominoes is very interesting to do it spent 30 years in Boston. Robinson was and have enough dominoes that you born and raised in New England. The could really make some big displays.” couple moved to the Valley in 2019. Robinson received an email about “Our rocket business brought us out appearing on the show. After what she to the West Coast,” Robinson said. “Obcalled a “very detailed” interview pro- viously, there is a lot more land without cess, she persuaded the showrunners to trees and the weather is more cooperlet her work with Dehate. ative, so we found ourselves spending “Robert and I are partners in busi- a lot of time out here with the business ness, so I thought it would be a great and got to really liking the weather and idea for us to be partners in dominoes,” the people out here, so we relocated. Robinson said. “As we put it, ‘Those “We don’t know a lot of people, but who build together, stay together.’ I imagine after this we are going to “That was the big impression that know a lot of people. We’re proud to we made with the crew on set, was that bring it to Glendale and put Glendale
on the map. It’s a fairly small town and everybody has been great with us out here. We haven’t had a whole lot of chance to meet people because of COVID. We’ve been in lockdown so much.” Outside of lockdown, the Rocket Science team went to California to film “Domino Masters.” Robinson and Dehate were nervous about inadvertently knocking over the dominoes while competing. “That is a lot of the anxiety of it, especially when it is a display that you are doing for show,” Robinson added. “Such as the display on the show, you had to really be aware to not knock anything over because we were on a time constraint to complete our display.” Each team is given 16 hours to complete the themed display. The Rocket Science team maxed out the 16-hour limit to create their display. “If we were to knock something over in the meantime, that would just use up time that we didn’t have,” Robinson said. “You had to be very aware of where you placed your hand or feet or anything, because it was lot of time on the floor setting up the display.” Another worry was a natural disaster like earthquakes. “I was still concerned every night that there might be an earthquake that would knock down our build,” Dehate said. “We were in California, so I was like, ‘What if there happens to be an earthquake while we are building and everything comes falling down?’” The trio did not witness an earthquake. But as far as how the toppling went, the couple wouldn’t reveal much. “You’ll have to watch the show,” Robinson said.
