15 Most Memorable “Ink Master” Moments

On September 23rd, Paramount Network announced that they’d be rebranding to focus on made-for-TV movies. This led to many of their programs, including “Ink Master,” to be canceled. “Ink Master” premiered in 2012 and ran for 13 successful seasons. During that time, tattoo artists Oliver Peck and Chris Nuñez were the judges, with Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro as the host and third judge. Over the years, the show introduced millions of fans to many of our favorite tattoo artists, including Tatu Baby, Cleen Rock One, Ryan Ashley Malarkey, Kelly Doty, DJ Tambe and Anthony Michaels. And we cannot forget the memorable moments this show brought us throughout it’s run. From bad tattoos to epic wins, feuding with clients to fighting the judges, “Ink Master” has provided some great reality TV over the years. Take a look at 15 of the most memorable moments from “Ink Master” in the gallery below, then let us know your favorite scene from the show in the comments section on social media.

Mystical Mike’s One Machine

Way back during season three of “Ink Master,” contestant Mystical Mike stunned the judges when he revealed that he’d only brought one tattoo machine to the competition. Judge Oliver Peck wasn’t having any of this, replying “I don’t ever leave my house without eight machines, minimum” with plenty of snark.

“Wieners”

During season six, the contestants were presented with a flash challenge where they needed to paint nude models. Many of the contestants were stunned and uncomfortable with the prospect of painting nude bodies for hours—but not Katie McGowan. Katie famously said, “I haven’t seen a wiener in a minute. I’m stoked.” Good for you girl.

Tattooing Inmates

In season three’s premiere episode, the artists were brought to a prison for their very first challenge and tasked with tattooing inmates. They were given 90 minutes to do the tattoos with only a single-needle, then those same inmates were brought back for coverups later in the episode.

Ryan Ashley Crowned “Ink Master”

After seven seasons of male victors, Ryan Ashley Malarkey became the first woman to win “Ink Master” during season eight. Her win came during a season that was defined by her alliance with artists Kelly Doty and Nikki Simpson, earning them a spin-off series, “Ink Master: Angels.”

Kruseman’s Master Canvas

During season six, many believed that Chris Blinston would take home the grand prize. That was, until we all saw Kruseman’s master canvas in the finale. It takes a lot for American traditional to beat out realism, but this piece definitely deserved the win.

Painting with Blood

“Ink Master” had many weird and wacky flash challenges, however, one of the grossest was when the contestants of season five were tasked with creating an enormous canvas painting using pig’s blood. That’s a no from me.

St. Marq

St. Marq first joined the competition during season six and quickly became one of the most memorable contestants in the history of the show. His ego was unmatched by any artist in his own season, perhaps the entire franchise period. We’ll never forget him referring to himself as the tattoo God.

Acid Cat

During the very first episode of season four, the contestants were tasked with inking clients convention style. This meant doing as many tattoos as possible in a given period of time. In that challenge, artist Roland Pacheco created a horrifying tattoo that Oliver Peck cleverly named “Acid Cat.” Despite creating one of the worst tattoos in the history of the show, Pachedo stayed around until episode five, surviving four consecutive times in the bottom. Talk about having nine lives!

Major Misspelling

Season two’s first eliminated artist was Cee Jay Jones, who was told to pack up her machines and close shop after the judges noticed a major misspelling in her tattoo. Jones misspelled the word “Corinthians,” instead writing “Corthnthians.” There may be no “i” in tattoo, however there are two in Corinthians.

Kyle Dunbar vs. Nuñez

Kyle Dunbar is one of the most infamous contestants in “Ink Master” history and is best known for his short fuse. Dunbar frequently quarreled with his fellow contestants and canvases, but his big fight came when he confronted judge Chris Nuñez.

Cleen Rock One

Cleen Rock One appeared on not one, not two, not three, but FOUR seasons of “Ink Master.” And why is it that he returned so many times? Because this guy is TV gold and we had to see him win eventually.

Four Artist, One Client

Another memorable moment from season six came during episode seven when the artists were broken off into teams and tasked with tattooing one canvas at the same time. Four of the artists, Chris Blinston, Katie McGowan, Big Ceeze and Dave Clarke, created cheetah print on their canvas to show texture. However, the tattoo proved to be too much for the canvas and she had a panic attack before tapping out. I honestly don’t know anyone who could endure this.

All of the Bad Pin-Ups

Every season, the artists are tasked with creating pin-up tattoos and many of the top artists have dropped the ball on this challenge. Pin-up tattoos are very challenging, as it’s tricky to execute the proportions and create a beautiful face on a small scale. There have been numerous terrible pin-up tattoos over the years and they never fail to blow our minds.

Julia Carlson vs. Client

During season five, the contestants came onto the show with a rival, however, contestant Julia Carlson left with another enemy. Tasked with creating a bio mechanical tattoo, Carlson stood her ground when it came to adhering to the style, even if that meant upsetting her client. In the elimination, mouths dropped when her client returned to share with the judges how rude she’d been to him during their consultation. Now that’s karma.

Jason Clay Dunn and His Master Canvas

Jason Clay Dunn may have won season five, however, the victory wasn’t easy. After making it to the finals, Jason Clay Dunn was given a master canvas to tattoo a 35-hour back piece of his choice on. After getting the outline done, the canvas quit and Dunn was forced to start the tattoo over from scratch.