Ink Master

Ink Master
Title card from the first four seasons.
GenreReality television
Presented by
Judges
Narrated by
  • Matt Knight
  • Rick Robles
Theme music composerVanacore Music, Inc
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons16
No. of episodes211
Production
Executive producers
  • Steven Weinstock
  • Glenda Hersh
  • Andrea Richter
Production locationJersey City, NJ
Cinematography
  • Brett Knott
  • Ariel Boles
Editors
  • Tony Nigro
  • Matthew Bartus
  • Kevin Moore
  • Sean Gill
  • Mark Hervey
  • David S. Tung
  • Alanna Yudin
  • Jon LeClaire
  • Jim Gaynor
Camera setupMultiple-camera
Running time40–83 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkSpike (2012–18), Paramount Network (2018–20)
ReleaseJanuary 17, 2012 (2012-01-17) –
April 14, 2020 (2020-04-14)
NetworkParamount+
ReleaseSeptember 7, 2022 (2022-09-07) –
present
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Ink Master is an American reality competition television series that originally aired on Paramount Network (formerly called Spike), now airing on the Paramount+ Streaming service and 24/7 on the Pluto app which has a channel dedicated entirely to the show. The first season originally premiered on January 17, 2012. The show is hosted by Dave Navarro who joins Chris Nunez and Oliver Peck to make up a panel of judges that decides which contestants get to continue in the competition and which go home, ultimately deciding the winner at the end. Peck left the series after a controversial post from years prior in which he wore blackface resurfaced. Each season features tattoo artists who compete in various challenges assessing their tattooing and related artistic skills. They are judged by renowned tattoo artists and enthusiasts, with one or more contestants eliminated each episode. The last contestant standing each season receives a $100,000 prize, the title of Ink Master, and a feature in Inked Magazine. The series is produced by Original Media, which also produced the reality show Miami Ink.

Four spin-off shows, titled Ink Shrinks,[1] Ink Master: Redemption, Ink Master: Angels and Ink Master: Grudge Match,[2][3] have also been released.[4] The series has also released a number of special standalone episodes themed around upcoming events or holidays, such as Halloween.[5]

The tenth season (titled as Ink Master: Return of the Masters) premiered on January 9, 2018, and aired its first two episodes on Spike before the network rebranded as the Paramount Network. On April 24, 2018, it was announced that Paramount Network had renewed the series for an eleventh season.[6] The twelfth season, titled Ink Master: Battle of the Sexes, premiered on June 11, 2019. On November 12, 2019, it was announced that the thirteenth season titled Ink Master: Turf War would premiere on January 7, 2020.[7]

On September 22, 2020, Paramount Network cancelled the series, as part of the network's then-planned shift to movies.[8] On December 1, 2020, the first two seasons were made available to stream on Netflix in the United States.[9] They were later removed on December 1, 2021, and replaced with seasons three and four.[10][11] On February 24, 2021, it was announced that the series would be revived by Paramount+.[12] On August 5, 2022, it was announced that the revival would premiere on September 7, 2022.[13] A fifteenth season premiered on November 1, 2023.[14] The sixteenth season, titled OGs vs Young Guns, is set to premiere on October 23, 2024.[15]

  1. ^ "Meet Your New Ink Shrink: Sarah Miller". Inked. 2014-12-16. ISSN 1555-8630. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  2. ^ "Paramount Network Expands Hit "Ink Master" Franchise with Multi-Season Renewal, Spin-Off Series, Dedicated YouTube Channel". The Futon Critic. May 7, 2019.
  3. ^ ""Ink Master: Grudge Match" Premieres Tuesday, October 1 at 10pm ET/PT on Paramount Network". The Futon Critic. August 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 27, 2015). "'Ink Master' Renewed for Season 7 by Spike TV; Network Orders Spin-Off 'Ink Master: Redemption'". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  5. ^ Sacks, Ethan. "'Ink Master': Halloween gets scary – for all the wrong reasons – with horror elimination challenge". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (April 24, 2018). "'Ink Master' Renewed For Season 11 By Paramount Network". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  7. ^ "Video: New Season of Paramount Network's "Ink Master: Turf War" Trailer". The Futon Critic. November 12, 2019.
  8. ^ Otterson, Joe (September 22, 2020). "Paramount Network Rebrands, Doubles Down on Movies and Minis (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "What's New on Netflix: December 1st, 2020". whats-on-netflix. 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  10. ^ Moore, Kasey. "Full List of What's Leaving Netflix in December 2021". What's On Netflix. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  11. ^ Moore, Kasey. "What's Coming to Netflix in December 2021". Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  12. ^ White, Peter (February 24, 2021). "'Ink Master' & 'Dating Naked' Set For New Seasons At Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  13. ^ Shafer, Ellise (August 5, 2022). "'Ink Master' Sets Premiere Date on Paramount+, Joel Madden to Host". Variety. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  14. ^ Rice, Lynette (September 28, 2023). "'Ink Master': Paramount+ Reveals Return Date For Joel Madden-Hosted Tattoo Competition". Deadline.
  15. ^ Manfredi, Lucas (October 2, 2024). "'Ink Master': OGs, Young Guns Go Tat for Tat in Season 16 Trailer - Exclusive Video". The Wrap.