# Ink Master (2012)

> Tattoo artists compete for a hundred thousand dollars and the title of Ink Master, with living canvasses donating their skin to the elimination contest.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/41960

## Facts

- Seasons: 17
- Episodes: 227
- Episode runtime: 42 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: reality
- Network: Spike, Paramount Network, Paramount+
- Cast: Dave Navarro, Joel Madden, Chris Núñez, Ryan Ashley Malarkey, Oliver Peck, Nikko Hurtado, Ami James, DJ Tambe
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1865740/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: adrenalized, competitive, playful, high pressure, brash

## What critics say

Audiences generally find the competition entertaining and the tattoo artistry impressive, though ratings have varied widely across seasons.

## Synopsis

Ink Master (2012-present) is a United States reality competition series created for Spike and later carried by Paramount Network and Paramount+. Across seventeen seasons and more than two hundred episodes, a rotating field of the country's most skilled tattoo artists competes for a prize of one hundred thousand dollars and the title of Ink Master. Each episode pits contestants against themed design challenges, and the stakes rise when the work must be permanently inked onto a living canvas who has volunteered their skin. Dave Navarro presides as the Master of Chaos, with Joel Madden hosting and Chris Núñez, Oliver Peck and Ryan Ashley Malarkey among the judges who deliver blunt critiques. The engine is elimination: artists who fall short are sent home week by week until one remains. The series is an adrenalized, high-pressure contest with a loud, playful edge, set in the American tattoo scene and a studio-style competition space. Fans of Top Chef, Project Runway and Blown Away will find a similar blend of craft, judging drama and eliminations.

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