* MTV *
[Narrator] This season on Ink Master: Hometown Heroes...
Oh-ho-ho! This is fucking crazy!
[Narrator] ...fifteen new artists
entered the competition.
Time to rep where you from now.
Let the fun begin.
Everyone else can French kiss this money goodbye.
It's coming back to Montreal with me.
Do you think you have any competition or anything?
If I put some money on someone,
I would put it on myself.
What is happening here?
That artist over there, she's tattooing herself.
[Alli] Sink or swim, guys.
What is happening?
You guys are falling under pressure.
That's what's happening.
They over there, tripping.
Everyone is gunning for Matt right now.
[laughing]
His mouth speaks louder than his tattoos do,
and I'm gonna do the opposite.
There's not a single challenge that they can throw at me
that is gonna make me shake.
I wanna win that money so bad.
You and everybody here.
I think Isnard is one of the biggest threats.
He's creative.
[Isnard] If I think of something weird,
I'm like, "I'm gonna try to draw this."
This is a competition. I'm here to win.
I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving.
[Narrator] One by one, they were eliminated.
The judges have decided,
Nadia, Sherri, Tyler, Emily, Mike,
Teneile, OJ, Alli, Boushee, Kyra, Keahi.
none of you have what it takes to be Ink Master.
Damn, you ain't gotta say that in front of my friends.
[Narrator] In the end, four artists
from four different countries were left standing.
You must create a 24-hour back piece.
-Yes! -Yeah!
Anything you want in any style you want.
Take these shackles off.
You must also complete two six-hour tattoos...
Oh!
[Joel] ...in two different styles
called by your competitors.
Sick.
Three master canvases,
three different styles, 36 hours of tattooing.
Fuck!
Only one Ink Master.
So sick.
[Narrator] Tonight on the season finale...
Let the madness begin.
[Narrator] ...the finalists will reveal
their master canvases...
-[Luka] Good luck, guys. -It's all about hometown pride.
I'm going for the biggest tattoo ever.
If there's a moment to push boundaries, this is it.
[sighs stressfully]
[Narrator] One artist will win the $250,000 prize...
[Seth] May the best man win.
[Narrator] ...and the title of Ink Master.
It's all happening tonight
on the season finale of Ink Master.
[dramatic sting]
[theme music]
[dramatic strings music]
[Joel] Yo, Benj, what's up, dude?
Yo, what's going on?
[Joel] What do you mean, "What's going on"?
Can't you see my hat, my jacket?
I'm on the Ink Master set. It's the finale.
-Tonight's the night. -I know.
I've been messing with you.
I've been waiting for this, man.
I guess I just needed a little pep talk.
I know it's a heavy task, because this show changes
the course of these tattooers' lives.
You know, this just gives such a boost
of visibility to their businesses,
to their art.
You also just have to realize that only one person can win.
-You're going to watch? -[Benji] Of course.
We never miss an episode in this house.
I hope you enjoy it. Tell Cam I said, "What up?"
I'll call you after the show.
All right. Love you.
Peace. Love you.
-Oh, man. -Wow.
-What's up, guys? -Wow.
-Ready for this finale? -Let's go, man.
-We're more than ready, man. -Totally.
Incredible season.
Really pretty even across the board with everybody.
-More tattoos than ever. -Oh, yeah.
Four artists, four hometowns.
-Four different countries. -Four different countries.
-Amazing, right? -[DJ Tambe] Yeah.
One of these finalists is taking home
the title of Ink Master and the $250,000.
Let's pop this champagne. Let's start this party.
Settle.
I love your energy, DJ.
We are going to pop champagne as soon as we get an Ink Master.
All right. I'll wait.
Take a seat. Let's get to work.
Let's bring in the finalists.
Representing Pittsburgh, USA,
tattooing for 12 years, Seth Holmes.
I came here to push myself past my artistic limits.
I've earned every single achievement
and done some of the best tattoos
I've ever done in my entire career.
I've been busting my ass so I can put my wife
in the house of her dreams and open up my dream shop.
That money is as good as mine.
Tattooing for 20 years,
representing Dublin, Ireland, Isnard Barbosa.
[Isnard] When I started in the competition,
I was nerve-wracked.
I worked my ass off, slowly getting my confidence back.
My creativity and my originality
brought me here
so I just want to show to the world.
Dublin, don't worry.
I'm going to bring that 250K back home.
Tattooing for 18 years,
and representing Montreal, Canada, Luka Lajoie.
I fucking made the finale.
Even if I'm my own worst critic,
being here at the finale
just proves to me that I can do it,
that I can keep pushing.
I can get all the way to the end and succeed.
Montreal, the next Ink Master is going to be French-Canadian.
I'm bringing the title home.
And, finally, tattooing for 17 years,
representing Melbourne, Australia,
Matt Mooney.
[Matt] Being a second-generation tattooer,
you're always out to prove yourself.
I came here to show how strong our family is
and I do want to make my family proud.
But also, validating to myself, I have to make sure this title
is coming home with me.
Congratulations on making it to the finale.
-Thank you. -Good job, man.
[Luka] Fuck, yeah.
Over the course of the last week,
each of you had to complete not one,
not two,
but three master canvas tattoos.
Speedrun.
In three completely different styles.
It was all so crazy.
So intense.
36 hours of tattooing.
Best challenge so far.
[Joel] Based on all three of your master canvases,
one of you will walk away with $250,000
and the title of Ink Master.
-Fuck, yeah, boys. -Let's go.
But there is one more thing...
-Oh-ho. -[Joel] ...you should know.
You're fucking kidding, dude.
I'm not tattooing anymore.
To win the title of Ink Master,
the judges are not the only ones you need to impress.
Of course not.
Oh, God damn it.
Tonight, we have a very special guest judge joining us.
-Who is it gonna be now? -Fucking hell.
This artist specializes in large-scale tattooing.
Uh-oh.
Who could it be?
Tattooing for 27 years.
-Oh! -[dramatic sting]
[Joel] He is a true OG.
The winner of season 16.
-Yes. -Oh!
James Tex.
-No way. -Holy shit.
No way.
[Joel] That means, James,
you do have what it takes to be Ink Master.
[cheers and applause]
James, welcome back, man.
-The man. -Big dog, what's up?
What did winning the title of Ink Master mean to you?
It meant a lot for me.
Bittersweet because I had to beat my son,
-unfortunately, but... -Oh, man.
What did your wife and your daughter think
watching you on the season?
I think they were the biggest fans.
-[Joel] Yeah. -[James] Especially my wife.
-She's double proud. -[Joel] Yeah.
I truly never appreciated a competition like this
-before I was on it. -Right.
[James] There's no hiding here.
You have to bring your A game
and prove that you're good enough
to take home the $250,000.
Hell, yeah.
Thank fuck he wasn't on this season.
[contestants chuckling]
Tonight, James will join the judges,
critiquing each of your master canvas tattoos.
And his vote will help determine which finalist
will bring the title of Ink Master
back to their hometown.
Damn, boy.
For your first master canvas, you had 24 hours
to tattoo anything you wanted in any style you wanted.
-Back piece in two days. -It was crazy, dude.
It was all a blur.
Let's see how it went.
[dramatic music]
[Luka] How are you, man?
-I'm your master canvas. -Nice to meet you, man.
Got some Japanese coming your way today, mate.
-[Man 2] Oh, hell, yeah. -It's going to be cool.
Let me show you what I got coming up for you.
-[Man 3] That's badass. -[Seth] Sick, right?
-Hell yeah. -[Seth] Yeah, man.
This is a different take on the kind of the Grim Reaper.
She's like kind of like the monster of death.
She's just collecting souls kind of shit.
-Sweet. -What I want to do
is to illustrate, when things happen in life,
you better embrace the situation,
-embrace your emotions. -Awesome. It looks sick.
Finalists, you've got 24 hours
to tattoo your master canvas back piece.
Wha!
And your time starts now.
Let the madness begin.
This is going to be a fight to the finish.
We got four amazing artists creating 24-hour back pieces.
[Luka] Good luck, guys.
[DJ Tambe] They got to pick their style, their subject.
There's no limitations.
[Matt] That's her, mate.
[Isnard] Looks like it's meant to be here.
[DJ Tambe] It's time to find out who's got the chops.
[Seth] Fuck yeah, dude. [laughs]
Who's got what it takes to hold that title?
-Ready for it? -Ready.
[metal music]
Let's do it.
Here we go. [tattoo gun buzzing]
My plan is to buy my wife a house.
[Man 3] Hell, yeah.
And open up a shop in Pittsburgh.
[Man 3] Fuck, yeah.
[Seth] The best way that I'm going to be able
to make an impact with this back piece
is to go with something timeless and classic.
Traditional is fucking ballsy.
There is nowhere to hide.
Every mistake is going to be out there for the judges to see.
We're making a great team, dude.
You're fucking sitting so good.
I would have tapped out already if it was me.
[both chuckling]
You've got 21 hours left.
[thrilling music]
This is where I started, but I just warmed you up.
[Man 2] Yeah.
[Matt] I've done like 50 Hannya masks, easy.
I'm choosing to do a Japanese-inspired Hannya mask
because it's very time-efficient.
I'm going to go massive.
I really want to go swinging.
I'm going to do something so big,
there's going to be no doubt
that I'll be the next Ink Master.
18 hours. Let's go.
You're a fucking samurai, man.
This entire back piece is all about my personal journey
to conquer your fears.
I have this big wolf that represents anxiety
and this cute little rabbit
that is holding the tongue of the wolf.
When you embrace your fears,
some good things are going to come.
How are you going on time, Luka?
I think I'm going to go a bit more black and gray.
It's kind of scary to not have
a specific plan because I'm a planner,
but I want to prove to myself that I can do it.
You're almost halfway there. You've got 15 hours.
[tense sting and music]
[Isnard] I finished the face.
[laughing mischievously]
This piece is everything I want to say who I am,
like from strange, weird,
complex, to create this crazy imagery.
This siren monster dementor,
and then little fairies around this monster.
I'm backing, backing, backing [indistinct].
It's time to break some rules
and create something crazy, outside of the box.
-Hey, Seth. -Yup?
You finished outlining that yet?
Uh, about another two hours.
[Matt] 12-hour outline.
That's crazy.
50 seconds.
[Joel] That's it. Time's up.
You are officially halfway there.
[Man 3] [groaning painfully]
[Seth] All right, dude.
I'm going to stop torturing you for the night.
My brain is completely cooked right now.
See you tomorrow. Give me a hug.
Dude, you're so good. Thank you.
-Okay, man. -Thank you.
[Seth] What's up, dude?
-How you doing? Good. -How was your night?
[Luka] You had a good sleep?
-Yeah. -[Luka] Perfect.
I'm going to try to get a bit easier to start with.
I might start on your shoulder.
-Bro, we did 12 hours. -[Man 4] Yeah.
And guess what? We're going to do it again.
You've got 12 hours left.
You're halfway there. Let's go.
Let's fucking go, dude.
Let's do this shit.
[tense music]
[Seth] Yeah. Had to.
It's all about hometown pride.
This whole competition, I've been doing the cleanest,
most solid fucking tattoos.
So now it's time to test everybody else
and see if they can stack up to it.
[Man 3] Hey, let's get you that bag.
Yeah, man.
10 hours left.
[thrilling music]
[Luka] This bunny takes forever.
It's a large piece.
I'm trying to tie the piece
all together to have something that is cohesive.
I'm stuck in my head with my thoughts,
and that's a dangerous place to be for me.
I take huge risks.
I took a big step forward for myself.
So just with that, I feel like I'm winning.
There are seven hours left.
[dramatic music]
Travel and enjoy my life.
[Matt] I always sort of had to take care of my dad.
The Hannya, it represents an intense negative emotion.
Resentment, anger, all those things I've been carrying
through a lot of the last years
of my relationship with my dad.
And I'm putting a Japanese scroll in the Hannya's mouth
as an apology,
like the words I wish I got to say to my dad
before he passed away.
You're killing it, dude.
I'm going for the biggest tattoo that's ever been done.
I can't do it without you.
Size doesn't matter. Artistry does.
Creativity does.
My hand is like, it's already numb.
[Man 4] Yeah, I bet.
If there's a moment to push boundaries,
this is it.
One hour left, everybody.
[Seth] Time flies when you're having fun.
[Man 3] Or when there's a quarter mil on the line.
Five, four, three, two, one.
That's it. Time's up.
No more ink.
That's fucking it, man.
You did it, man. Fucking 24 hours.
Yeah, I just want to do
a badass fucking beautiful monster, that's it.
-[both laughing] -Yeah.
That is unbelievable.
Welcome back to the Ink Master season finale.
Four finalists from four different countries remain.
And tonight, one of them will bring the title
of Ink Master back to their hometown.
The time has come to critique your 24-hour master canvases.
I don't know if I want to hear this.
The style and subject were completely up to you.
-Good luck, whatever comes. -Isnard.
Oh, God.
[Joel] You called color illustrative.
This was to represent a bit of myself.
Feeling a bit like an outcast.
And I get inspired to do the judges,
DJ, say like, "You're going to have time for this."
Ryan, "Take your time, take a break."
Nikko say like, "It's cool, bro."
Clearly, you're a great illustrator.
The face is fantastic. The eyes are striking.
[Ryan] The neck is repetitive of the bright pink vertebrae
coming down the back in a really cool, cohesive way.
I just love the way the anatomy on the skull is
with this weird, creepy hand.
But I find myself trying to pick out what I want to look at.
The composition is a bit off.
All the energy is flowing one way
and just heading off in one direction.
Nothing's pulling me back in the piece.
But other than that, it's freaking fantastic, man.
I can't believe you pulled this off.
-Thank you, guys. -[Seth] Good shit, man.
-Oof. -Good job. It was so good.
-That was easy. -Luka.
All right.
[Joel] You also called color illustrative.
The idea is to represent a way to embrace your fears.
That's a little bit about my life,
-especially being here. -The wolf looks fun.
The energy of it, I just think it looks wacky.
[Ryan] The line work and the sketchiness in the wolf
is sort of anxiety provoking,
but I think that's part of the story
because the bunny is so perfect.
I really love the flow and direction of this piece.
It makes me look down the tongue
and find the rabbit at the bottom.
-I love that. -It's very much a payoff.
The bunny is awesome. Cute little face.
It makes me smile.
I just wish the tongue was solid red.
It just looks unfinished.
But I love these exclamation points.
I like the technique that you used inside of him
where it's almost this kind of spray paint.
It's a great back piece. It's different.
You don't see this every day. It's very cool.
-Thank you very much, guys. -[Isnard] That was cool.
That bunny was so sick.
-Seth. -Good luck, buddy.
[Joel] You called traditional.
Everything in this piece
I wanted to represent my experiences here.
The eagle at the top
is for me being the last American standing here.
The chain link to represent my hometown of Pittsburgh,
Steel City.
The eagle and the chain link is the coolest part.
It's big. It's bold.
It's in your face. It's purposeful.
I don't know if I love the ship as a centerpiece.
It would have been cool to see the biggest and boldest piece
be right up there in the middle.
You could have done it a little bigger.
Stretch it out. It's just too stiff.
I think you just smothered it with too much stuff.
It's a cool traditional scorpion on its own.
It's a cool traditional skull on its own.
I just think it's very pasted.
I do think you gave this canvas a timeless, bold tattoo
that will stand the test of time.
-Thank you. Thanks, man. -Solid shit.
-Matt. -Here we go.
[Joel] You called Japanese.
Trying to do that tattoo in such a small period of time,
rolling the dice on paint,
that's what I like about tattooing.
You kind of roll the dice all the time.
I just love it.
It's really tailor-made to fit this back perfectly.
I mean, the sheer size of this tattoo,
it's really impressive that you got that much done.
The strategy of leaving all of your negative space
-in the center-- -[DJ Tambe] It looked white.
[Ryan] It looks white.
[DJ Tambe] Like it was packed white.
I love the vibe in the face.
Really exaggerated.
Almost looks like too many teeth with this just shit grin.
[James] One of my favorite things too
are the veins in the eyeballs
that push up to the top with the horns
because everyone's looking up.
There's a lot of energy and flow.
The flames are really stylized and cool.
-I fucking love this piece. -Awesome. Thank you.
So fucking sick, man.
Looks smaller than I remember.
[Joel] Four incredible back pieces.
-Three different styles. -That's fucking cool.
Good job, guys.
But being an Ink Master is about
more than just playing to your strengths.
You also had to create two six-hour leg tattoos.
Might as well do a few little ones while you're at it.
[Joel] Each of the tattoos had to be done
in one of the styles that your opponent called
for their 24-hour master canvas.
Japanese, traditional, or color illustrative.
Let's see these. Let's see these.
Let's see how it went.
Hi, I'm your master canvas.
-I'm your master canvas. -Hey. I'm Isnard.
We have to do other people's styles, so...
-[Woman] Yeah, I'm so down. -This guy went Japanese.
So, yeah, we're mixing everything.
I love colors.
But, unfortunately, traditional Japanese has not many colors.
[Woman 2] Aw.
We're going colorful and trippy.
-Yes. I love it. -[Seth] You love it? Awesome.
I feel like this is going to win me all the money, so...
Artists, versatility is the name of the game.
You have six hours to tattoo your second master canvas
and your time starts now.
-Yeehaw! -Let's do it.
Each finalist has to do two six-hour thigh tattoos.
And each one has to be in a style
that their competitors chose for their back piece.
[Luka] That's cool!
[DJ Tambe] This could be a slap in the face
to the other competitors,
showing them you can do what they do,
but you can do it better.
The linework is going to be the worst part.
Once we get through that, the shading is in the color.
Piece of cake, okay?
[tense industrial music] [tattoo gun buzzing]
This little geisha have to be immaculate to go against Matt.
Sorry if I'm not speaking too much,
this is an area that's, like, really precise.
This tattoo symbolizes what my mom has been through.
She had me when she was 16.
She didn't know what to do with her life.
She's been through a lot of bad places
and she came back from that.
Oh, pretty. That's his.
Looks like a sticker.
There are four hours remaining.
[Woman 3] Does time fly or does it really come down to the wire?
[Luka] Always.
Luka, he always has spare time.
Best time management here.
[Luka] I have to out-tattoo Matt.
He specialized in Japanese tattooing.
So I have to find my edge.
So I have a blue.
I would like to put another darker blue
just to make it more interesting.
Can I or it's, uh...
You can do whatever you want, mate.
I just keep it flat.
[Luka] I'm taking a risk with this one,
but my thing's color.
So I'm going to pack this thing with a lot of color.
Three hours left. Let's go.
[dark and tense metal music]
[Matt] When it comes to color illustrative work,
Isnard is the guy to beat.
We just got to build up the transparency.
It's going to take a little bit.
I want to put in all the illustrative tricks
and all the color tricks
that Isnard has done in his back piece.
[Woman] Green looks so cool.
[Matt] If I can beat Isnard at his style with a snail,
that is worth $250,000 to me.
One hour left.
[thrilling rock music]
It's such a creative design. I love this.
[Seth] If I want to be crowned as Ink Master,
I've got to prove to the judges that my creativity can stack up
right there with Luka and Isnard.
This competition has pushed me to be way more creative
than what I can be back home.
I took a big fucking risk.
This isn't a style that I've been perfecting for years.
This is something that I developed here.
It's got to be able to stand out against people
who are in their element.
Going so fast.
Five, four, three, two, one.
That's it. Time's up. No more ink.
Good job.
I'm super happy with it.
You got a creepy worm. I mean, snail.
I don't even know what I'm doing anymore.
[Woman] That's awesome.
I think we got this in the bag, honestly.
-[Seth] Hell, yeah. -Yeah!
[Woman 2] [laughing] That is so cool.
I'm your master canvas. Nice to meet you.
Hey, Isnard. Nice to meet you, bro.
Ah, we're going to do traditional today.
-Right on. -Sounds good.
We've already got some Japanese stuff,
so this is going to tie in perfectly good.
[Man 5] Oh, let's go.
The challenge today is to do a traditional piece.
[Man 6] Awesome, man.
The final is traditional.
-The last one. -Love it.
Artists, you have six hours
to tattoo your third and final master canvas.
And your time starts now.
-Let's do it. Let's go. -Yee!
[Luka] Let's rock and roll. Last one.
This is the ultimate test of versatility.
[Seth] Oh, that's fucking badass.
[Nikko] I want to see these artists take
their competitor's style and master that, too.
That's what takes the title home.
[Isnard] Take no prisoners.
-Ready to rock, man? -[Man 6] I'm ready.
[music continues] [tattoo guns buzzing]
[Matt] Fuck, yeah, finally get to do traditional.
I feel stoked to go up against Seth.
I mean, I saw these tattoos all through my childhood.
This is something that my dad did for most of my life.
Doing the various horses just represents the past,
the present, and the future.
Doing this, I feel like it's
just kind of putting everything to rest.
Having the opportunity
to represent our family like this,
I can't let them down.
Four hours left.
[dramatic industrial music]
[Isnard] I never win anything, you know.
I have to be the best on something so people notice me.
[Isnard] These tattoos are going to represent my granny.
All these elements creates a fierce and strong woman.
It's hard to grow up in a situation
that was ups and downs, whatever.
Coming through my life brought me here,
-you know what I mean? -[Man 7] Absolutely.
So I'm okay with that.
-[Man 7] Now you're killing it. -Ah! Yes, bro.
[Isnard] I'm making this like a fucking sticker.
I'm here to risk it all.
The title Ink Master belongs to Dublin.
Three hours left.
[industrial rock music]
-[Matt] Luka. -[Luka] [laughing]
[Matt] You fucking need bottles shaking over here.
[Luka] It's not me. It's the tattoo god.
[Isnard] No more colors, Lukas. Stop it.
My tattoo is going to be a woman fighting a marlin.
It's to represent that you can conquer your fears.
So it's the perfect way to end this whole thing.
So when you say like a limited palette,
you can have multiple tones of red.
When I say minimal palette, I meant five colors or less.
-Luka, come on, man. -[Luka] It's the finale.
[both laughing]
-You going out with a bang? -[Luka] Yeah.
[Luka] If I'm able to show that I can be bold and simple,
-I can win this. -You've got two hours.
[tense music]
The competition was so fucking crazy this year,
they put four of us in the finale.
I'm going to separate myself from the other artists
by sticking to the rules of Japanese,
but I'm going to play around
with the blood and the color scheme.
It sucks that somebody's got to lose, you know?
If this is the last tattoo
that I'm going to do on Ink Master ,
then you're damn straight
I'm going to put my soul into this fucking tattoo.
Between you and me, three of them got to lose.
Five, four, three, two, one.
That's it. Time's up. No more ink.
[high-pitched relieved sighing]
That's a fucking wrap.
Oh, dude.
Don't forget me when you're Ink Master, man.
[laughter]
I'm stoked to have the chance to do a trad piece like that.
[Man 6] Yeah, you killed it, dude.
[Man 8] $250,000 tattoo right there.
I'll be riding home on all three of those fucking horses
with the money I got.
Isnard, you do have what it takes to be Ink Master.
Woohoo! What's up?
Welcome back to the Ink Master season finale.
Get ready for this. It's going to be intense now.
[Joel] The time has come to reveal
your two six-hour master canvas tattoos.
-Oh, snap. -Fuck yeah. Let's do it.
[Joel] You had to tattoo in one of the styles
that your opponent called for their 24-hour back piece.
This one was fun.
[Joel] Isnard and Luka called color illustrative.
Let's see how you did. Seth.
[dramatic music]
This, like, melty, almost vibrating style.
It's really creative and new.
[James] The tattoo itself has lots of flow.
I love the saturation of color going through it.
There's some movement and energy to it.
[Nikko] It looks really loose.
Like, when you drew it, you had fun doing it.
It's a really unique design that I've never seen anyone do.
-So, dude, awesome. -Thank you.
It pops.
Thanks for calling color illustrative.
Matt. [dramatic music]
Man, it's awesome.
The little expression on the snail's face,
his downward little mouth. I love the three eyes.
It makes it super extraterrestrial.
The color choices are amazing.
I do like the depth of the eyeball.
That has a glare and the outside has a glare.
[DJ Tambe] It's just a cool drawing, man.
It shows your illustrative abilities at the drawing table
-and it's super sick. -Awesome. Thank you.
-Pretty cool. -That's a fun one.
[Isnard] That was pretty cool.
Seth called traditional.
-Asshole. -Sorry. [chuckles]
-Luka, let's see how you did. -Sir.
It has a really classic vibe.
I like that the color isn't completely saturated.
That lends to the style.
It's funny and cool because it's quirky.
It's interesting.
You look at all the little details.
The blood drops, the mouth. She's holding a knife.
I really love this tattoo.
Thank you very much, guys.
-That was awesome. Pretty cool. -Thank you.
Isnard.
[thrilling rock music]
I love the belly of the snake coming down.
The color palette is awesome.
My favorite part about it
is the blush on the side of the face.
It's just classic.
But you're just putting too much with the blade.
You should have just shaded one side of that blade
and left the other side of the blade negative.
Just let it breathe a bit more.
I see traditional, but not straight-up traditional.
I think you created a new style. Traditionard.
-Traditionard. -[laughter]
I'll take that. I'll take that.
[music continues] Good job, Ish.
Let's take a look at the last traditional tattoo.
Matt.
This is a cool classic image.
-The color palette's great. -[Nikko] And it's simple.
There's not too many colors going on.
I love how confident your black is.
I really love these roses. They're really solid.
The horses are awesome. Could use a little separation
between the first and second horse.
But this is a super solid clean tattoo.
-Thank you. -Good job.
A little too much off to the races for me.
Matt called Japanese.
Three more tattoos to look at, boys.
-Isnard. -[sighs stressfully]
It's so intricate and striking.
I absolutely love the red on the eyes,
how it's blended beautifully down onto the face.
You got these tiny little teeth in there.
These things are awesome, man.
[James] The headset, all the hairpins are really nice.
The gradations in the kimono are really beautifully done.
[Joel] You couldn't help yourself
and throw in a weird little skull.
But it's fucking sick. I love it.
It's traditional, but it still has your personality in it.
Thank you, guys.
Now we gotta go after that.
Good luck.
Luka.
This is so detailed.
There's so many intricate, tiny little pieces to this,
put in with so much precision.
[Nikko] I love the way you made
the different tones in the kimono.
And that's one thing you know how to do
is get that color in there, clean.
[James] I really like the positioning.
The hands, the placement, the head down.
I like that flow to it.
And I like how you put the maple leaves in there.
-A Canadian thing there. -Good you noticed.
The problem with that is that they're unnecessary.
It's just too much in that little area, right?
It's tight. But it's well applied, man.
-I love it. -Thank you very much.
-That was cool, Luka. -Seth.
It's a nice classic design.
I like the face expression. I like the hair.
[DJ Tambe] I do like the direction of the flowing hair
and how it creates almost this circular motion.
[Ryan] I love how you brought the golden tone into the eyes
and made those eyes yellow.
-It's weird. It's cool. -It's a bloody severed head.
[Joel] It's super clean.
It's just fucking cool. I love it.
-It's awesome. -[Seth] Thanks, man.
-Good job, man. -[Seth] Thank you, guys.
Three chances to prove your versatility.
-And all four of you delivered. -Awesome.
This is going to be a very difficult decision.
I feel like it could go either way.
Four finalists, four hometown heroes, only one Ink Master.
[sighs stressfully]
They've got a tricky job on their hands.
[Joel] Head to the shop and we will call you back
when we've made a decision.
[dramatic sting]
-[Isnard] Ah. -[Seth] Last time in the shop.
[Isnard] It's the end. Can you smell it?
-It's the end of the road. -[all sighing]
It's the end of the road for all of us.
One's just taking more money than the other.
There's no way I want to go home second place, man.
No way, dude.
[Seth] For me, even getting just to the finale,
to be competing against guys
like you that are fucking phenomenal artists,
it's validating already.
But, man, the fucking title is just like that much more.
I think this Ink Master title will be awesome.
It will mean like, well,
I kind of made it, you know? I proved a point.
Having the title would put at ease the voice
I have in my head that I'm always like,
"It's not enough."
It would be like a paper of validation of like,
"Okay, you're good. It's okay.
Shut the fuck up."
Yeah, I mean, my game plan was just to do good tattoos
and shit stir Seth.
I mean, I fucking nailed my game plan.
Now it's just fucking getting that check and sealing the deal.
[industrial rock music]
All right, judges, it's time to deliberate.
I'm really impressed with these four artists
that made it to the finale.
[DJ Tambe] A lot of bold, cool imagery.
This could be 12 different tattooers.
[Nikko] Some unique styles.
You know, Isnard's back piece, it's really different.
Matt's back piece is fucking sick.
And then you got Seth's over here
with this weird skeleton.
[Joel] But we need to take
two finalists out of the running.
Seth's shining moment was the illustrative color.
His two smaller tattoos, for me, outweigh the back piece.
[DJ Tambe] Oh, yeah.
If you would have brought a little of his creativity
from the skeleton into his other pieces,
they would have been totally different.
With Luka's, the back piece, it's unfinished.
What makes that back piece look so unfinished is that solid,
packed rabbit.
[Nikko] But you like the composition.
Yeah. For me, Isnard's 24-hour back piece
lacked a little on composition.
[James] I do have problems with Isnard's readability.
It does get a little bit confusing.
Luka's is like, immediately, I know that's Wolf Fox.
-[Ryan] Unfinished? -[James] Some sort of dog.
[Ryan] The only thing the wolf
and bunny has is great composition.
That is it.
The Japanese ones, I definitely like Isnard's better.
Luka crammed a lot of stuff into there.
I mean, I like the Japanese piece a lot.
So much little detail.
The ability to do that is tough.
When it comes to the traditional,
Luka totally crushed Isnard.
[James] Arguably the best traditional tattoo
of the bunch.
But I can't look past the quality of drawing
that Isnard put into his back piece.
[Ryan] The creativity, the uniqueness,
you don't come across all the time, guys.
-You just don't-- -But if you don't do it perfect,
-it's just a mess. -I'm hanging on that fence.
[Joel] Welcome back.
We are moments away from naming the next Ink Master.
-Oh, shit, boys. -Ooh, here we go.
It's real now.
But before we do, we have one last surprise for you.
-Uh-oh. -Damn.
The four of you left your hometowns
to be standing here right now.
You've battled through every challenge,
not just for the title of Ink Master,
but for the people at home cheering you on.
-Oh, my gosh. -No fucking way.
Tonight, they want to remind you exactly what
-you've been fighting for. -Fucking hell.
First time I've been nervous the whole time, dude.
-Let's take a look. -Hey, Matt.
How you going? It's your brother, Rhett,
here with the girls.
Oh, fuck, get the first one.
I'm so proud of what you've achieved already.
You've been destined for the greatest heights
of tattooing ever since you were a kid.
You've worked insanely hard
your whole life to get where you are.
And if Dad was still around to see this,
you could imagine the funny little grin
he'd have on his face watching this.
You'd make him so proud.
So go out there and smash it.
Go on, Matt!
-[Luka] Beautiful, man. -Fuck.
-That was great, man. -That was awesome.
Held my shit together.
Hey, brother. I'm here with the whole family.
You reached the end. You showed heart, skill,
and that's what got you there.
Be proud. You crushed it.
You've already won in my eyes.
You stood among the best and proved you belong.
Hello, Luka.
Mama.
Aw.
I don't know what she's saying, but it made me emotional.
[laughter]
I can't believe that you made it to the final.
Oh, my God.
Watching you go after your dream fills me with pride.
You have no idea how beautiful you are in so many ways.
-She's amazing, man. -She is.
Hi, Ma.
Hey, babe.
Fuck.
There's a reason that you are up there
representing Pittsburgh right now,
the city of champions.
And we ain't called that for nothing.
You've poured your whole self into this journey.
And now is your time to shine.
Hi, Seth.
You've worked so hard.
And you've never been given anything.
And I'm super proud of you.
And you just keep killing it, dude.
-You're doing so good. -That's awesome.
I am so incredibly proud to call you my brother.
Now keep your meaty head in the game and go win this.
-Meaty head? -Good luck.
Love you guys.
-You good? -Yeah.
That's what it's all about.
That was a nice touch.
It feels so good just to see them.
It got me right there.
There is so much more than just $250,000 on the line here.
Your name, your legacy, everything you've sacrificed
-to get to this moment. -Damn.
-It all comes down to this. -[whistles]
The judges have deliberated.
Based on your 24-hour master canvas
and your two six-hour master canvas tattoos,
it is now time to take the first finalist out of the running.
-Fuck. -This is it, boys.
The judges have decided,
Seth, you do not have what it takes to be Ink Master.
You didn't trust your creativity.
I've heard you over the whole season kind of say,
"I'm not that creative."
But, actually, man, you have a lot of creativity in you.
Dive into that creativity full force
because the vision you have is unique.
Even though I'm leaving without the money and the title,
I still got exactly what I wanted.
I've evolved more as a tattooer during this competition
than I have in the last 12 years of tattooing.
You represented Pittsburgh so well.
Thank you.
[Matt] Proud of you, man.
[Seth] Thank you.
Isnard, Luka, and Matt,
two of you will move on to the top two.
And one of you is about to be eliminated.
Good luck, mate.
The judges have decided,
Luka, you do not have what it takes to be Ink Master.
-Damn, man. -Okay, boys.
Luka, what took you out was your back piece had a little bit
of an unfinished look.
[Joel] I love this back piece.
I wish you had another six hours on it or whatever you'd need.
-12. -But, man, you've been
a fierce competitor throughout this competition.
It was a lot of pressure, a lot of stress,
and I'm super stoked I got to be part of it.
You are all class, man.
-And you're fucking talented. -I think you did Canada proud.
Thanks for that.
Ah, okay.
-The fuck, man? -Oh, shit.
I thought I was your friend.
[Joel] Matt and Isnard.
Last two.
[Joel] Based on your work, one of you
is about to earn $250,000 and the title of Ink Master.
This is crazy.
It is time to determine the winner.
Damn, bro. Good luck.
Yeah, you too, man.
Two wildly versatile artists.
Two incredible back pieces.
[James] I really love
where Isnard's pushing the limits of creativity.
And that illustrative style.
But I really love Japanese also.
[Nikko] Matt's is tried and true.
A Hannya's a really bold image.
Most of the time I see them
and I'm not impressed by Hannyas.
But that back piece is fucking sick.
I mean, I feel like Isnard took a huge chance,
you know, because he made something
that is his own vision.
[Ryan] I literally can't stop looking at it.
Isnard's creativity, guys, it's just so fucking cool.
[James] But Matt's snail is pushing it
in its own crazy illustrative way.
[DJ Tambe] The tricks that are pulled off
and the creativity in the snail, it's awesome.
But then we look at Isnard's Japanese piece and it's like,
it's fucking sick, too. It's beautiful.
It's soft. It's delicate.
[Nikko] Super readable, striking.
Ultimately, for me, it comes down to these back pieces.
[Nikko] I got one that's almost like
from the future where tattooing is going.
And then another tattoo that
is a new take on traditional Japanese.
[Ryan] I love both.
But Matt's is a tattoo that I would expect.
This is what Matt does.
This is what he prides himself on.
And he's fucking good at it.
With Isnard's, I'm like, "Man, how do you think of this shit?"
But this is what Isnard does, too.
[James] Both of them speak to me in different ways.
It's a tough one.
All right, judges, it's time to vote.
What the fuck?
Isnard, I love your big swing you took
on the back piece because I love your creativity.
But readability is a big one for me.
-My vote is for you, Matt. -Thanks, man.
Matt, you're a cheeky one.
I love your fucking back piece.
I have loved every single tattoo that you've done.
Isnard, you started out a little bit rocky.
But the imagination that flows through you,
it's just something special.
My vote is for Isnard.
Thank you so much.
[Nikko] This is a hard decision.
It's two different takes on tattooing,
and my heart usually leans towards Isnard.
I always like to look towards the future of tattooing.
But with Matt's, efficiency with such a size blows my mind.
Because I'm not the fastest tattooer.
So when I see a fast tattooer,
I'm like, "Dude, this guy's lightning."
My vote is for Matt.
Thank you.
That's two votes for Matt and one vote for Isnard.
You guys have both done incredible work.
I love the tried and true tattoo.
That back piece is fucking rock solid.
I love the innovative, original, weird shit, Isnard.
The more I look at yours, the more I like it.
And I'm starting to kind of love the weird shit.
My vote is for Isnard.
Thank you so much.
That's two votes for Matt and two votes for Isnard.
Isnard's back piece is super creative.
Matt's back piece is bold and striking.
Matt's snail on the thigh, I think that's super creative
and new and refreshing.
And Isnard's Japanese piece, super readable, striking.
[DJ Tambe] Both solid tattooers.
I'm gonna go with bold.
Striking.
And creative.
My vote's for Matt.
[Joel] That means, Matt, you do have
what it takes to be Ink Master.
-Hey! -Yes!
I'm fucking so stoked right now.
[Matt] I feel like a huge weight's off my shoulders.
I set out to win this and I did.
-[Joel] Really good work, bro. -Thank you so much, man.
You really fucking won me over.
Thank you. It means a lot from you, man.
-Fucking amazing, bro. -I didn't expect this at all.
-Thank you. -Good job, buddy.
[Matt] It's not just the title.
It's like putting things to rest that should have been put
to rest a long time ago.
My dad just passed away.
I pretty much wore all his clothes all season
-to be him with me, so. -Awesome, Matt.
I never got to work with my dad,
but I feel like I brought a piece of him with me here.
And I feel like I won it with him.
It just makes it all the more special.
[Joel] And here's to Australia. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.
[all cheering and laughing]
[Man] Welcome to the family.
[rock music]
[music]