♪ MTV
[Male Narrator] Previously on Ink Master...
Whoa!
Shit!
[Narrator] 16 new artists enter the competition.
You will form two teams.
The OGs, tattooing for more than a decade.
Heavy Hitters.
Versus the Young Guns, tattooing for 10 years or less.
[Narrator] Before the teams battle each other,
two artists from each group will be eliminated.
We just got here.
Young Guns, you're up first.
Oh, my God. I'm gonna throw up.
Oh, no!
[Narrator] The Young Guns had to tattoo
in one of three distinct styles.
Is this how it's done?
[Narrator] New school.
Get out of here.
[Narrator] American traditional.
[Lucy] She hasn't finished the outline yet.
[Narrator] And Japanese.
Kitsune mask. Smart choice.
[Narrator] In the end, two Young Guns were eliminated.
Love.
Johnny, you do not have what it takes to be an Ink Master.
[Narrator] Now, the OGs must fight for their shot
at a $250,000 prize.
I'm fucking scared shitless.
I've got to step up.
[Narrator] And the title of Ink Master.
[theme music]
[music]
Young Guns, congratulations.
Your tattoos last week secured you a spot on your team.
Fuck yeah, dude.
Saved by the hair of the chinny, chin, chin.
And you are all safe from elimination this week.
[Jade] For now. Yeah.
Everything in this competition has been non-stop rush.
So now I just get to lay back and relax, maybe talk some shit.
OGs, you are not.
-Let's do this. -Ready to go.
-Ready. -Here it comes.
[Jade] I'm pretty excited to see what the OGs have coming up.
All of them have huge egos right now.
So we'll see if they can actually live up to those egos.
There are eight of you and only six spots available
on your team.
-I got one. -A 100%
-I got one. -I got one.
It doesn't work that way. Time to put up or shut up.
That means two of you will be packing your machines
before you've even moved into a shop.
Bye.
Sadly, two people have to go home,
but happily it won't be me.
I'm glad I'm not one of those two.
[Anthony] I've seen all the Young Guns.
I've seen what they did wrong.
I'm feeling pretty confident where I stand,
but that's not the game right now.
I'm going against the OGs. I'm going against my dad.
I'm going against other very experienced tattooers
with confidence just like me.
We can only have one Tex.
It's gonna be a hell of a battle.
Your first elimination tattoo starts right now.
All right. Let's go.
What's it gonna be?
[Joel] Before you get to against a Young Gun,
you must first try to out tattoo a Young Gun.
What?
There's your twist.
No.
Today, you must tattoo the same style and subject
as one of the four highest ranked Young Guns.
Stop.
I got this.
Alena was the highest ranked Young Gun
with a Japanese Kitsune mask.
You're welcome, guys.
[Stephanie] That's definitely the tattoo
that I need to go for.
That's where my comfort zone is, just clean line work,
bold colors.
I want my spot. I'm ready to earn my title.
[Joel] Joseph ranked second with the Japanese Hannya mask.
It should be easy for you guys, right?
Piece of cake.
I wanna pick the Japanese Hannya mask.
I'm gonna go much bigger than Joseph's design
because I feel like you want to read it better from far away.
Jade ranked third with an American traditional
rose and banner.
Got the easiest one.
American traditional is what I was raised on.
I know the rules to stick by.
I know how to pull off a clean tattoo.
So I'm gonna play it on the safer side here.
I'm gonna do what I know.
And as long as I can beat out two other people, I'm set.
[Joel] Jenna ranked fourth with the new school boy
holding a frog in front of a coffin.
Oh, that was new school?
How are you gonna talk shit when you haven't even tattooed yet?
Don't talk the talk until you've walked the walk, OGs.
Once again, your tattoo must speak for itself
because these tattoos will be judged completely blind.
The best way to be judged.
[Joel] And your tattoo will be directly compared
to the Young Gun's tattoo.
Perfect.
Giving us a side-by-side comparison.
You guys basically had tattooers pick these awesome subjects
that they already tattooed. Now is your time to stand out.
Show us something that much better.
Blow us away.
I'm sure that during the entire critique of the Young Guns,
you guys had your own opinions.
This is your opportunity to show us how those designs
could have been better and put it in the skin.
This is an opportunity for the OGs to snatch some souls
to show what they do.
Only one thing is guaranteed,
two of you will be going home.
You will have five hours to tattoo.
Start designing and we'll send in your canvases.
Good luck.
[music]
[James] You're gonna do the cemetery one, man?
-Is that right? -Yeah.
Do you think I should keep that somber, sad mood?
Yes, because the fucking frog's dead, man.
Well, let's see what they do. I don't know.
I'm excited.
I really wanna know who's gonna choose yours.
[Trevor] I think a lot of them are going to be doing a kitsune
because you're number one.
They're gonna try to show that they're better
-than what the judges-- -Of course they are!
I feel like we're gonna be seeing a lot of Hannya masks.
The subject matter is super easy,
so they're gonna try to go above and beyond.
Maybe do a huge-ass tattoo.
I'm just wondering if I should actually do that?
I mean, that's fucking insane. You can do that in five hours?
I can do it about that big in five hours.
They watched us.
They took everything into consideration.
And if they don't kill it, there's no excuse.
[music]
Hi, I'm your human canvas.
American traditional day today.
Well, we got Japanese day. You okay with that?
I am.
OGs, there are eight of you, and only six spots on the team.
If you want one of those spots, you need to prove
that you can out tattoo a Young Gun.
You have five hours.
And your time starts now.
All right, man, let's do this.
-All right. -You ready?
-Yeah, let's do this. -Let's do this.
-Oh, no! -There goes Manny.
Man down!
Today the OGs must tattoo in one of the styles
and subjects of the top four Young Guns.
Place in. That's how it's gonna go.
[Nikko] Two OGs are going home before they even get in a shop,
damn, that's gonna hit the ego!
[music]
[Jorell] Okay, cool.
[Nikko] All I know is these OGs better be shooting these
Young Guns down because they got the experience.
They better bring it.
[music]
-Okay, man. -Let's do it.
[music]
Spicy.
You need some spice in your life, buddy.
Yeah, always.
I only have a little section left I need to draw,
and I'll be back, okay?
[Pony] Do you really think the Young Guns
are gonna come down here and poop their diapers
when they see what we're doing?
[Man] You got something to brag about over there?
[Pony] I don't know. It's not like I did two roses
in the time that she took to do one or anything.
Let's see. Where do we start?
Fee-fi-fo-fum.
[Joseph] What's going on, guys?
[Cat] Show us.
[Anthony] Okay, what did I mess up? Tell me.
The drawing, the lines?
We'll be here all day if I start now.
That's what a traditional tattoo looks like.
[Jenna] Yeah, that's right.
I've done a lot in the tattoo world.
I've traveled all over.
I've entered a lot of competitions.
I've won a lot of awards. I help teach people.
Like the flesh back in the day, right,
it just said name, right?
[Man] So you just wrote name?
You think your line looks thick enough?
Yeah, like, super, super traditional, one line weight.
Third black, third red, third skin tone
was like a general rule.
I did not know that.
That's where you're a Young Gun.
My biggest fear is just doing a bad tattoo on this competition
for the world to see
because I still want to be booked when I get home.
[music]
Artists, you have four hours.
[music]
I'm not gonna just start tattooing something
unless I know for a fact that my stencil's perfect.
Finally, it's perfect.
People see me as sweet, nice, maybe just a mom,
but I'm a dark horse in this competition.
And people aren't gonna see me coming and before they know it,
I'm gonna be at the finish line.
Let the fun begin.
I do a lot on a daily basis juggling having three kids
and my job, and lack of sleep, so I think I'm ready
for anything this competition's gonna bring.
[music]
I know I'm the strongest artist in this competition.
I've been tattooing for 26 years.
That's longer than some of these artists have been alive.
I'm here to attempt and most likely win the title
of Ink Master.
You're going huge with your tattoo.
[James] This is huge?
[Joseph] I mean, for five hours.
[James] Yeah, you just started.
My father is James Tex. Late 90s, early 2000s,
people weren't really getting sleeves.
And he had available designs of sleeves on the wall.
And some would come in just for a little thing,
and just, "Oh, what's that?"
Like, "Oh, just available designs if you wanna get 'em."
And the next thing you know,
everyone in Calgary had a sleeve by James.
Yeah, how big was yours? I can't remember.
Oh, okay.
[James] It was the size of the shin, right?
It's not about the size. It's about the quality.
Yeah, quality, yeah.
I got a legacy to leave for my kids.
My daughter and Anthony both tattoo.
I mean, I still consider my son a Young Gun,
but he's right there beside me killin' it.
James Tex.
[Woman] A little competition.
When he found out that we were coming here, he was like,
"Are you ready for this?"
I was like, "I'm not going on there with you to be second."
James, my dad, has taught me everything
I've known about tattooing. He gave me the tools.
I took that and created my own thing, my own image.
And that's Anthony Tex.
-This is my son. -[Anthony] I am the son.
I am a Tex 2.0.
Should I just grab a seat and learn from the master?
I'm here to fuckin' beat him.
I know that I have what it takes to kick my dad's ass.
[Lucy] It's okay. I send them both home.
I was born in south of China. I was always a rebel kid.
In the school, everybody need to wear a uniform, no piercing,
no dyed hair, no makeup. I done it all.
Pretty much I do every style.
That's why I'm here because I can do everything.
I love people pay me to stab them.
I see myself as more like a designer more than an artist.
I just how I put things together a Lucy way.
The Lucy way is the better way.
-[Woman] Ooh, that's spicy. -You can do it.
I want to create something original and something new,
another Hannya, like you can see thousands of those.
I'm trying something new with the palette, you know?
My tattoos are bold and strong.
I swing to the fences every time.
When I left Cuba, I was eight years old.
We got on this 15-foot sailboat.
We were in a hurricane, giant waves.
We almost flipped over. That's just the way I grew up.
Always taking risk. Always taking chance.
OGs, you have two hours.
[music]
I think all the Young Guns were going really simple
with their designs.
I really wanted to add more to be able to tell a story with it.
-That's you, girl. -Stop.
I love the style and subject that I chose.
Like, it's so different for me.
I don't get to do a lot of Japanese artwork.
Most of my stuff's black and gray realism.
-Sticking to black and gray? -[Andy] I think so, yeah.
My father passed away when I was 16.
Through that, I became a monk just learning how to like,
meditate and get control of my thoughts and my feelings.
I was left with a decision to like be a monk for the rest
of my life or leave and become the best tattoo artist.
And I made the later decision.
I think I wish you did color.
[Andy] This is a strenuous activity
that we're goingthrough in this competition
getting ahold of your thoughts and your feelings.
And make the next best decision.
I'm joining the color party.
Oh, my God.
How'd we do?
It's so cute. I love it.
I don't think you got fat enough lines on there, dude.
Yeah, right?
We got a bunch of heavy hitters in Japanese.
These dudes could crush American traditional, too.
The new school, I think is something that I, at least,
once upon a time was doing.
I think I might be in trouble.
[Trevor] Oh.
I worked really hard to have a signature look, a Jorell tattoo.
It's loose. It's sketchy.
It is dynamic in the color work. And is shows all the charisma
I think that I exude.
Is that the uh, same machine that you used to use
-in 1942 or... -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[laughs]
We're in the very, very last stretch.
[Manny] Almost there.
[Woman] Fuck, that sucks.
Five, four, three, two, one.
That's it. Time's up.
No more ink.
Bada bing bada boom. [speaking foreign language]
Man, you did it.
We're done. Thank you, man.
Take a look. What do you think?
Oh, dude, that's so sick. Thanks, man.
Hell, yeah. Thanks for sitting so well.
You did it.
We did it. This was a team effort.
Yeah, that shit is awesome, man.
Thanks, dude.
Fuck, I think everyone can be fucking number one, you know?
Oh, my God, it's so good.
It's crazy. I'm definitely nervous.
Yeah, what's done is done, man.
Now, we just wait.
[music]
They talked a big game and I feel like only
a couple of them walked the walk.
I feel kind of relieved, to be honest with you.
-Yeah. -[Alena] They're human.
I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that somebody
with that many more years experience can make a lot
of the same mistakes that I made on my first tattoo.
Manny's tattoo's really basic.
His design is super simple with a flower.
And it's not even too appealing.
I had a problem with Andy's tattoo.
[Joseph] The face of the woman just gets lost.
[Trevor] Everything was very like, chunky and stagnant.
Do you feel like the overall thing was a little bit stiff?
[Trevor] Yeah, that's it. Exactly.
I think overall, technically, I out tattooed Pony.
Design-wise, even though mine was simpler,
I think it was cleaner overall.
And you've been tattooing for only three years.
And he's been tattooing for how long, almost 20 something?
If Pony didn't pull out perfect precision on his with his amount
of experience as an OG, they are gonna tear it apart.
I feel like some of them are gonna be talking a lot less
-shit after today. -Yeah.
[music]
Not so easy being in the hot seat now, huh?
It's a little nerve-racking.
-Hey, here we go. -Let it begin.
Okay.
All right, judges, today the OGs had to tattoo in the same style
and subject as one of one of the four highest ranked Young Guns.
We'll see how far experience gets you in this one.
I'm excited to see them head-to-head.
-You know what I mean? -[Ryan] Yeah.
Like, to see the tattoo.
This is a blind critique. My favorite.
[Joel] Bring up the first tattoo.
Hey, that's mine.
Pretty good.
-Uh, pretty good? -Yeah, I'd say.
[Ryan] Come on, it's better than pretty good.
Oh, my God.
[Ryan] Killer dynamic illustration.
The movement and the shape of the rope,
how it slips into the tassels.
The eyes are looking up almost like it has intention.
[Nikko] I even like how the ears are positioned
a little bit more high. And it almost looks more aware.
Alena's tattoo is an A, but that OG tattoo is an A plus.
Holy shit.
You set the bar so high.
[Joel] Let's see the next tattoo.
That's my tattoo right there.
[Joel] The Japanese Hannya mask.
Went for a different color scheme.
I like how dark it is. It looks heavy.
It has a sense of evil to it, but I think it's very top heavy.
The balance isn't there for the design.
[Ryan] Joseph gets it for me on this one.
It's so readable.
As for this tattoo done by one of the OGs,
it's just a little confusing as to
what the star of the show really is.
I think mine has more personality and style,
more flow, like, I drew everything from my head.
That came out of my soul.
[Joel] Let's bring up the next tattoo.
That one's mine.
Look at how it's illustrated.
[Joel] It's pretty dynamic.
[DJ] I mean, the wispy hair, the little lines in the rope
in the tassel. It's really cool.
[Ryan] Wow.
I love the way the teeth are just a little different.
They're a little bit more realistic.
It's so cool because it gives it a life.
[Nikko] Super dynamic drawing.
I feel like you have just a sense of ominous,
some evil laugh coming from this piece.
Yeah. And I think it might be laughing at the other Hannya.
[Man] What?
[Joel] The OG tattoo all day, every day.
The detail, the personality, even just the position
of the rope is better.
It's impressive. Insanely huge.
This is more in my wheelhouse, but my wheelhouse is pretty big.
[Joel] Let's bring up the next tattoo.
Hey, that's mine.
[Joel] Ah, the American traditional.
Who is Name?
Traditional's really tough because sometimes you see it
and you're like, wowed by it because it's so clean, so bold.
With this, I don't feel that wowed.
Like, I feel like it's a little light.
It doesn't have the punch of color.
[Ryan] The line work is fine. The saturation is not.
Every single petal could have been put in
with so much more intention.
[Joel] If we put them side by side.
[Ryan] Look at the two next to each other.
Which one has more pop?
-[Nikko] Love or Name? -[Ryan] Love!
[Joel] I guess you wouldn't put your name on that one.
I definitely feel like I hit the mark more as far as
American traditional goes without a doubt.
It looks like two of the same tattoos.
It's very underwhelming. It looks underwhelming.
Sure, but if you're going for--
-[James] Boring. -That vint--
It's definitely not as exciting as a lot of the other tattoos
we've seen up there. That's for sure.
[Joel] Bring up the next tattoo.
That one's mine.
[Ryan] Definitely huge. Definitely solid.
The line work is really impressive,
but this one's just not very dynamic.
The cherry blossoms should have been placed
in a more appealing pattern.
It almost looks like a crown of cherry blossoms.
[Nikko] The hand and fingers kind of don't look like
they're the same hand.
I'd like to see them side by side.
[Ryan] Alena took it for sure.
-[Nikko] Young Guns, I agree. -[Ryan] Young Guns.
I wanted to come here and show something strong,
something bold, something different.
I went all in and I took a risk.
[Joel] All right, let's bring up the next tattoo.
That's mine.
This is a really pretty one.
[Ryan] It's butter.
[DJ] It's delicate.
[Joel] Whoever did this has like a smooth painterly technique.
They have this really buttery blend between the darkest red
into a brighter red and it's subtle.
[Joel] I'd like to see them side by side.
[Ryan] The problem that I'm having with the OG's tattoo is
-it's missing the soul. -[Joel] No eyeballs.
[Ryan] For me with the eyes.
[Nikko] I like the OG's.
If you wanna go for the more bubble gum.
I like bubble gum.
I mean, it's bubble gum, but they didn't blow it.
I love that they said it was buttery
because that's what I was going for.
[Joel] Bring up the next tattoo.
That's mine.
[Joel] Ah, the new school boy holding a frog.
[Ryan] Really awesome frog. Really awesome foot.
Really awesome hand, but from the fingers all the way up,
it's just a pink blob.
There's too many colors in the frog
and then it gets too monotone for the rest of it.
[Joel] I'd like to see them side by side.
I feel like it's a draw for me because I do think the OG
pulled out a lot of cool tricks in their tattoo,
but artistically speaking, every time I look at Jenna's
I'm drawn into the story.
I think I'm at a draw.
Certain things I like about both.
I would like to see what your frog looks like in my piece.
-Let's combine. -[Jenna] Yeah.
[Joel] Bring up the next tattoo.
That's me.
[Joel] Hannya mask.
It's a really cool, bad-ass Hannya.
It's got a lot of expression. The little grin.
A lot of effort put in making this thing look really 3D
and the colors are super vibrant.
Side by side, which tattoo do you like better?
[Nikko] For me, it's the OG's.
I mean, it's just got way more character.
[Ryan] The OGs got him on size, on personality, on creativity.
[Joel] That's it. There are eight tattoos.
There are only six spots on the OG team.
Two artists are going home without even moving into a shop.
Coming from somebody who was in the bottom
and had to fight again, gear up and get ready.
Assuming we get another one, right?
Fuckin' bring it. I'm not going home.
[music]
OGs, today, you had five hours to tattoo in the same style
and subject as one of the top four Young Guns.
[music]
Based only on your work, each of your tattoos
have been ranked by the judges.
One by one, the top four artists will be revealed.
If you made it into the top four,
you are safe from elimination
and you've secured your spot on the OG team.
[Anthony] Wouldn't that be nice?
Please reveal the highest ranked tattoo.
[music]
[Andy] This is it.
-Who could have guessed it? -I couldn't have guessed.
Congratulations, James.
You have the highest ranked tattoo.
I'm surprised, actually.
I actually didn't rate this one the highest,
so I'm a little surprised as well. No offense.
I rated it this highest.
This Hannya mask is honestly one of the coolest fucking Hannyas
I've ever seen.
This thing's a different take and it's refreshing to see.
It's fucking bad ass, dude.
You have secured your spot on the OG team.
Thank you.
Please reveal the second highest ranked tattoo.
[music]
Congratulations, Anthony.
You have the second highest ranked tattoo.
-I fucking love this tattoo. -I fucking love it, too.
It's so beautifully illustrated, so beautifully done.
For me, this was the tattoo of the day in my opinion.
-Mine, too. -Thanks guys.
Good job, kiddo.
Please reveal the third highest ranked tattoo.
[music]
Let's go, girl.
Congratulations, Stephanie. Third highest ranked.
You've presented us with a super clean,
solid-ass tattoo for your first one.
And you should be fucking stoked.
Thank you.
Please reveal the fourth highest ranked tattoo.
[music]
[Joel] Congratulations, Lucy.
You have the fourth highest ranked tattoo.
I'm very nervous.
Take a breath. Let it out.
It's crazy that you're so soft spoken,
but your work is so like, it looks aggressive.
And, you know, everything's in there,
so it's really cool to see the difference.
This is a beautiful tattoo.
Thank you.
Congratulations to the top four artists.
You are all safe from elimination.
And you have all secured your spot on the OG team.
[music]
Well deserved.
Four of you remain, but there are only two spots
left on the team.
Pony, Manny, Andy, and Jorell,
you will all have one final chance to save yourself
from elimination.
[music]
Each of you must face off tattooing against another artist
in a head-to-head battle.
Fail to win your face off,
and you will be eliminated on the spot.
Based on your tattoos from today,
the highest ranked remaining artist
will be matched against the lowest ranked artist
and so on.
[music]
-But there's one more thing. -Always.
To even the playing field, the artist with the
lower ranking of the two will choose the style and subject
that both artists must tattoo
in their head-to-head battle.
Oh, my God.
Let's reveal the face offs.
Please reveal the lowest ranked tattoo.
[music]
Whose tattoo is this?
I went swingin'
I'm a killer in black and gray realism, but I want to step on
this competition and do something different.
Whatever you're more comfortable with, take that shot,
especially this size. It's a big tattoo.
Andy, you will face off against the fifth highest ranked tattoo
in a head-to-head battle.
All right. Let's see who it's gonna be.
Reveal the fifth ranked tattoo.
[music]
-That sucks. -It'll be an honor.
Jorell.
I probably bit off way more than I could chew.
Now that you understand what it is, come back in stronger.
Andy, your tattoo was ranked lower than Jorell's tattoo.
That means you get to choose the style and subject
that you both must tattoo.
Black and gray, photo-realistic animal.
Oh, man. Y'all see the colors.
Black and gray is so, uh, blah.
It's what I know, bro.
I get it. No.
Look, we're in a competition here.
All right, the first head-to-head battle
has been set.
That means Pony and Manny, you will face off
in a head-to-head battle against each other.
Let's find out who has the lower ranked tattoo.
That artist will get to choose the style and subject
you must both tattoo.
Reveal the seventh ranked tattoo.
For once in my life I'm happy to be at the bottom.
That means, Manny, your tattoo was the sixth ranked tattoo.
Whew, this shit is fuckin' bananas.
[Joel] Pony, your tattoo was ranked lower than Manny's.
That means you get to pick the style and subject
that you both must tattoo.
I ain't scared, bro.
I think I'm gonna go with what I know
and I'm going to say a black and gray realistic hand.
The face offs are set.
Tomorrow, you will have five hours to tattoo.
It's you against your opponent.
You have a 50-50 chance at survival.
And two of you are going home. Good luck.
[music]
I think it's crazy how it played out.
You did the worst two tattoos of the day
-and you got the upper hand? -There's always a twist.
I didn't wanna be fuckin' last. Like, that--
Even if I got the upper hand.
I gotta remember the last time I did black and gray.
It also feels kinda fucked up.
It's like shooting somebody in the foot.
I'm just glad I got to do something in my style
that I've been doing for over a decade.
You're sitting there like, "Fuck yeah, it's gonna be nice
when I fucking kick your ass tomorrow."
I'm a man of honor.
I would have fucking done something that's fair
for the both of us.
He's gonna shine at what he's good at.
You can't tell me that you're gonna go home tonight
and be sweating balls.
Yeah, I'm not sweating about the tattoo.
Fuck, I'm good at what I do.
Are you gonna feel good about beating him?
No, I don't. That's why I said,
it feels like it's shooting him in the foot.
That's the game.
Does anybody else wanna progress to the end?
Like, why the fuck else are we here?
[music]
-What are we doing? -Elephant in the room.
Yeah, fitting. I'm gonna do a frog.
I was gonna do a frog, too.
But that would've been mean of you.
Andy, your human canvas.
So what kind of space are we working with?
Well, I hope you like what we've got today.
[Woman] Okay.
Little Hannya, photo realism kind of vibe, you know?
[Woman] Wow.
I gotta go up against one of the best
black and gray artists in the world.
And it's gonna be a hard challenge,
but I'm not afraid of the competition.
And I'm gonna show him what's up.
This is the most important tattoo that I've done
in my 24 years of tattooing.
Pony and Manny,
Andy and Jorell,
you must face off in a head-to-head battle
to save yourself from elimination
and you earn one of the last two spots on the OG team.
Fail to win your face off,
and you will be packing your machines.
You have five hours to tattoo.
And your time starts now.
All right, fellas, get after it.
[Pony] We're tattooing for our lives right now.
Let's go.
There's hardly ever opportunity in this competition
to pick the style and subject you want to tattoo
against another competitor.
Solid.
[Pony] Ooh, first try. Hell, yeah.
I'm not surprised Pony and Andy chose what they're
the most comfortable with.
See how it dips here and comes right back up?
That goes with the shape of the elephant's head,
so that helps contour it nicely.
[DJ] That's the way to knock out your competitor,
but if they fail, they're failing big time.
All right, my dude. Are you ready to rock and roll?
[Man] Yeah.
[music]
[Jorell] So the challenge is real.
Andy is a monster when it comes to black and gray realism.
As somebody who does not do photo realism,
I'm not overly confident.
Black and gray realism, textures, animals,
this is my bread and butter. This is what I know how to do.
This is not even a challenge.
[Anthony] What made you choose an elephant?
[Andy] It's technically a very challenging tattoo to do.
I'm known for like, my texture. I'm sorry, Jorell.
I'm getting a spot on that team.
Are you doing a frog because of the other frog?
Photo realism is tough because you have a direct reference.
And that direct reference is perfect.
It is literally the standard.
You have to try to replicate that standard in skin.
It just doesn't seem realistic.
No pun intended.
[music]
Artists, you have three hours remaining.
Oh, great.
Just what I need more of in my life, stress.
-[Ryan] The harsh truth. -[Pony] Yeah, that, too.
[DJ] A little more up your alley.
Ooh.
[Pony] For sure.
I didn't put my life on hold to pack up my shit
before I even make a team.
Hands are one of the most difficult thing to
hit anatomy correctly on.
[Ryan] It's so hard.
This is what I do back at home almost every single day.
So I really gotta make sure I hand Manny his ass on this one.
In every tattoo I make I wanna sprinkle a little bit
of Manny dust on it, so I decided to do a hand
with a Hannya mask on it.
And keep it a little bit dark and creepy.
-Hmm, tats on tats. -[Joel] Tats on tats.
[Nikko] That's cool. And what's your history?
When I was like, in high school I got into graffiti.
I was like, "I wanna learn how to tattoo."
[Joel] So you actually did an apprenticeship?
I did it for like, seven months and then I got fired.
He said, "I didn't have what it takes."
Because of that I feel like I'm constantly having to prove
every day that I do want this, you know?
You definitely have what it takes.
[Manny] When I found tattooing, I found something
that I was passionate about.
I wanted to make my family proud.
I wanted to make my Cuban people proud.
I want to be the artist that I strive to be.
I'm not looking. I'm not looking.
-Come on, man. -[Pony] I don't want to.
-Let's be friends, man. -I'm gonna miss you so much.
One hour left.
Lots of texture, huh?
Texture.
[DJ] This is your sweet spot, huh?
Feel comfortable today?
I do, but normally I would dedicate eight hours to this.
I've got a time collapse. I have to get it done in five.
You never really do black and gray?
No, it's just not as exciting for me.
[Joel] Treat it like your illustrations, man.
That's really what you're doing, just illustrating.
Right.
I'm an illustrative tattooer,
but I will absolutely crush this frog.
[music]
Five, four, three,
two, one.
That's it. Time's up.
No more ink.
[chuckling]
You think that's good enough for a W?
[Man] Yeah, I do.
I think you're gonna love it. I tried something different.
[Woman] I love it.
[Pony] The gem is cool. I'm thrilled with it.
All I want is my name on one of these walls here.
That's all I want. A boy can't ask for much.
[music]
A bunch of cobras in a freakin' pit.
It feels like I shot you in the foot.
It's brutal, man.
I just hate having to play the game
and throw people under the bus.
'Cause that's not what I would do.
I respect you.
I appreciate that, man.
But I'm not a quitter either.
If we're gonna do this, we're gonna battle.
This is what we have to do.
[music]
Today you each had to face off
tattooing in a head-to-head battle against another artist.
Based on your work, two of you will secure your spot
on the OG team.
And two of you will be packing your machines.
First up, the face off between Pony and Manny.
Oh, boy.
Pony, let's start with you.
Bro, it's an immaculate tattoo.
Where the light meets the shadow and then folds back on the hand.
And I really love the way that looks.
The diamond's immaculate.
The light source is incredible. The contrast is incredible.
[DJ] It does have a little bit of a separate feel to me.
If it sat in the hand like it was holding it like this--
I mean, come on.
He stuck one of the coolest diamond tattoos I've ever seen
in this thing just for shits and giggles.
-You nailed it. -Thank you kindly.
Manny.
The play that you brought in with Hannya as a line work
tattoo on the hand was such a cool little trick.
I love that the horns come down the fingers.
I love that you stippled it on the fingers
where the wrinkles would be.
It's very dim lit.
You should have bumped up that light to have some kind of
drastic light and shadow from some area in this,
but it has a really realistic look.
There's a lot of good qualities about this.
This is a tough job we have.
Pony's, I mean, it's insane. We know what he's good at.
This is what I expect him to do.
Sadly, this is the only thing I expect him to do.
I still did a better tattoo hands down.
I don't think he can do what I can do when he's been
tattooing longer than all of us.
Pony picked the thing he knows he can do and he did it better.
Technically, Pony's is almost flawless.
My vote's for Manny.
I'm sorry, Manny, but my vote is for you.
My vote is for Manny to go home.
The judges have decided.
Manny, you do not have what it takes to be Ink Master.
I think in this whole thing you showed versatility,
and resilience, and the game got you.
Please pack your machines and head home.
Thank you, guys.
Pony, thanks for pushing me, bro.
I feel proud. I didn't go home on a bad tattoo.
And I had to go one-on-one with one of the best
portrait artists in the world.
So, like, I feel good about what I did.
Take it easy, yo.
Bye, Manny.
Congratulations, Pony.
You have secured your spot on the OG team.
It's about to get real awkward up there.
Make your way up there and join your team.
[Pony] Thank you.
-Congrats, Pony. -Thank you.
Two artists remain.
There is only one spot left on the OG team.
This is the hardest part.
The second head-to-head face off was between Andy and Jorell.
Andy, let's start with you.
The entire trunk, all of those textures are the exact texture
they should be, intricate. They're placed perfectly.
But when it's texture on texture on texture,
you can't appreciate it as much.
[Nikko] The contrast should have been boosted a little bit more.
Especially under the trunk.
You could have blackened out that body part
and it would have really pulled that trunk forward.
It's gonna make your tattoo look more realistic
and last longer.
Jorell, you're up.
Oh, Lord.
I love the pose of the frog. I think it's really cool.
Dynamic.
Certain areas of this frog look wet and shiny.
You hit a lot of the texture, but other than that,
you got a dark stick, you got a dark background,
and that frog is all one tone.
[Nikko] There is a lot of dark going on
and I don't like overuse of white,
especially in black and gray.
I like the breathable of open skin,
but it looks like the frog shapes are there.
Oh, my God.
This is tough, man. They made the same mistakes.
Too much black in some spots, not enough in the other.
I don't do this. I tried.
But you ain't seen shit yet.
I've done two tattoos and none of them are my style.
Even though, Jorell's is really dark,
it's so much more readable. It just looks crisp.
I think that comes off a little bit too dark.
And yeah, I missed the mark on some darks here,
but I feel like I hit more of the photo realism challenge.
I mean, Jorell's, it does get lost a lot
like the sucker toe things, they're there
because of the white.
Even the thigh, that should be blown out, just open skin.
I haven't done this in a decade.
When you guys came around, you were like,
"Lean into what you do." I literally did that.
You used the white to use a crutch, to keep yourself safe.
My vote is for Jorell to go.
Andy's tattoo is flat and tonal
and the reference has light, medium and dark.
But when this heals, you know black and gray gets dark,
so it's gonna read.
Okay, then the thing that kills me the most is placement
of that elephant is extremely off.
I moved it up, so it leaves room at the bottom,
so he can put a full piece underneath.
Andy, it curves in a way that you can't see the full tattoo.
I understand that.
[Ryan] If you put it down two inches, you'd be able to see all
of the ears and the--
[Andy] But then I think that's inconsiderate
because now it's an even smaller space at the bottom
to add something.
You can't add much in front of the elephant.
You could always add behind. It should be moved down.
[Ryan] Way down.
My vote is for Andy to go home.
It was a ballsy move and I don't think you pulled it off.
This is tough because I totally hear what you're saying
and it actually makes sense to me.
And I look at the tattoos and I still really love that frog.
My vote is for Andy to go home.
That's one vote for Jorell, two votes for Andy.
My judgement is gonna be taken down to
what is first and foremost,
and that's gonna be placement.
My vote's for Andy.
[Joel] The judges have decided.
Andy, you do not have what it takes to be Ink Master.
[music]
This is so hard because this whole team
gets my utmost respect. And that was the hardest part
of this competition was to realize like,
no matter how good you are, at some point,
someone good has to go home.
That fucks with me here and here, so...
Andy, you're a master at what you do.
The time crunch got you.
You didn't get to do all the things that you would have
at home.
We all have like, Ws and Ls in life, but it's wins and lessons.
This is not a loss. Thank you for the opportunity.
Please pack your machines and head home.
Thank you.
Thank you, brother. You did good.
All that this means is that I get to go home
and take everything that I've learned,
and apply it right back into my craft.
There's no quit. There's no giving up.
It doesn't end here just because I'm not the next Ink Master.
There's just so much more to learn, so much more to give.
[music]
Now that the team's are set, the battle can begin.
[James] Strap in.
The OGs versus the Young Guns.
I'm ready.
Buckle up, guys, it's gonna be a long ride.
Sorry, Young Guns, you're fucked then.
Time to roll some heads.
There's a lot of big egos in that team.
The battle is just beginning.
Yeah, it is.
You don't look happy.
I don't have time for this shit.
Some people don't know how to move things.
You're no fucking genius, so don't be an asshole.
-Shit's real now. -Suckers are going down.
-First time for everything. -Game on, guys.
Oh, my God.
The game is afoot.
[music]