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Today, you have six hours to tattoo anything you want. Anything we want? OK. That's it. No style restrictions, no insane subject matter, no crazy placement, no excuses. I'm ready to knock somebody out. It's not going to be very many times you guys get to actually be 100% yourself in this competition. So make sure you let us know exactly who the fuck you are as artists. JOEL MADDEN: Your canvases are completely open and have been randomly assigned. You will have six hours to tattoo any style and any subject matter.
All right. JOEL MADDEN: Start designing-- Right now? - --and good luck. - OK. Come on over. - Turn to the side, please. These stencils are really detailed, so we want it to stick on here and not go anywhere. I will have a colossal breakdown if it does. I would have loved this challenge when I was competing. First challenge, they get to show whatever they want. That looks pretty sick, bro. DJ TAMBE: This is what you do, is your style, so it better be perfect. SYDNEY DYER: OK, we're going to go with our first line. So obviously it's going to be spice town.
My style is unique. I like to tattoo a lot of vintage girly shit. It's very hyper feminine. People think I'm a cool girl, but I'm really not. I'm covered in tattoos. I have gold teeth. My eyelids say, "Bad bitch." Are you still alive? CLIENT: Yep. SYDNEY DYER: I'll get out of that spicy bit, like, real quick. CLIENT: It's OK. Yep. SYDNEY DYER: I have the inner critic imposter syndrome that we all do, but now's the time for her to shut the fuck up.
- What's up, B? - Not much. I'm just trying to fight this clock right now. Dude, you see what happens in here, right? And I'm stressing. I love Bobby. He's one of my favorite tattooers. He does these elaborate, illustrative, neo-traditional tattoos. I'm looking here. I didn't even see the-- BOBBY JOHNSON: I know. DJ TAMBE: --girl in the back. BOBBY JOHNSON: I just sneaked that in. DJ TAMBE: Bro-- I want to prove to the judges that I don't just do lady faces. I can design a tattoo that has thought in every single aspect. From the beginning to the end, from the frame to the inside,
I want everything to be perfect. DJ TAMBE: That's sick. Let's see if I can finish it. Such a distinct style you have. FREDDIE ALBRIGHTON: I like things to be, like, playful. Like you take something, and then you do it really well. And then just, like, doodle over it. I don't really have one word to describe my work, painterly, graphic, colorful, slightly realistic, weird stuff. Big tattoo for six hours, especially considering you're doing two color realism faces.
Not one black and gray realism face-- FREDDIE ALBRIGHTON: That would take me-- --two. FREDDIE ALBRIGHTON: --longer. I have no clue how to do black and gray. You what? I've never-- I've never done a single black and gray tattoo. So-- Oh, my god. --it'll be a first here. I can't believe you're saying that to my face day one. Should I not have said that? Maybe that was a mistake. For your first elimination tattoo, you had six hours to tattoo whatever you want, any style, any subject.
Let's see how you did. Sydney? The linework on this tattoo, it's crazy. Some little lines on the swords. Do they make, like, half needles nowadays? I source my singles very hard. It was a single needle? Most of that is. RYAN ASHLEY: Anyone who has ever tried to work with single needles understands how hard it is to get any lines clean. That is insanity. I'm obsessed. Freddie, are you ready? Ready, Freddie? It's super cool. I love the Sharpie-looking flower. The little pen drawings, it's like you sketched them in.
RYAN ASHLEY: Your saturation is solid. Your color play is solid. I didn't think it was going to be possible to pull off what you did, but you did. It's really cool. Bobby? Overall, I think this is a really great tattoo. The colors you chose are great. DJ TAMBE: The wing, transparency, like you can see into another dimension, really beautifully done. Design wise, amazing. JOEL MADDEN: This week, you put it all on the skin tattooing for a shot in this competition. Each of your tattoos have been ranked by the judges.
One by one, we will reveal the rankings. I'm ready. SYDNEY DYER: Wow. - Wow. SYDNEY DYER: Yeah. Yay, congrats. He knew it JOEL MADDEN: Bobby, congratulations, top ranked. BOBBY JOHNSON: Feels good. I wasn't expecting it. There was good tattoos. Please reveal the second highest ranked tattoo. Oh, sweet. JOEL MADDEN: Freddie, congratulations. I guess that'll do, second place. JOEL MADDEN: Freddie was ready. Please reveal the third highest ranked tattoo.
Yes! Yay! Sydney, three artists have earned their shop, two on Team DJ, one on team Nikko, and nine shops left. For your first elimination tattoo, the subject matter is completely up to you. All right. Speaking my language. Let's go. The style is not. Oh. You must tattoo in one of these three distinct styles, American traditional, Japanese, or new school. Those are three scariest styles. I don't do color. I don't do lines. I don't do any of that. Oh, my God. Make sure your tattoo speaks for itself because these tattoos will be judged completely blind.
I want to know exactly what style I'm looking at. This is Ink Master. You need to be able to take a swing at everything. Everybody, look. Oh, look at her. This isn't nerve wracking or anything. Just everyone's watching. JADE OLIVIA: People have said in their three years of tattooing, they were nowhere near where I am now. My technical abilities are so sharp and precise that no matter the challenge, I'll be able to produce a clean piece of work.
She hasn't finished the outline yet. I'm just trying to get, like, clean lines. You know, looks can be deceiving. I may pull up in a little skirt and a crop top, but I can tattoo my ass off. Kitsune mask. Smart choice. Doesn't need much shading. ALENA WEDDERBURN: I'm from a region in Siberia, Asian part of Russia. It's the coldest inhabited place on Earth. It wasn't easy. We didn't have basic human needs, running water. We didn't have a bathroom.
I literally had to struggle to survive. Do you think I should do thicker lines on the mask? Yes, just to make it look a little stronger. ALENA WEDDERBURN: Yeah, yeah. I only do black and gray realism. I have fucking balls big enough to go for Japanese and color tattoo. None of the things I do on a regular basis. Winning "Master" is not going to be easy, but it won't be the hardest thing I've ever done.
Whip it, whip it, whip it, whip it, whip it. [VOCALIZING] Much of the older generation tattoo artists, they don't want to give a chance to the new guys. You like it? You can do better? You want to show him how it's done? It wasn't easy for me in Puerto Rico. I would knock on doors, tattoo shops, just begging for apprenticeships, and I would just constantly get shut down. I'm completely self-taught. For this challenge, I try to maintain it as simple as possible, making sure it's really solid, packed to the brim.
All the work I've done by myself to get to Ink Master is on the line. We might have some competition. They're not doing half bad. JOEL MADDEN: All right, blind critique. You guys ready for this? Ready as I'll ever be. Yeah. Yeah, we'll find out. Ohh, here we go. The Young Guns had five hours to tattoo in one of three distinct styles, American traditional, Japanese, or new school. This is a blind critique.
Let's see how they did. Let's bring up the first tattoo. Oh, it's me. DJ TAMBE: I think it's a super bold tattoo. It's super American traditional, clean. The color choices are good. It wasn't overdone with any weird colors that weren't too out of the ordinary. RYAN ASHLEY: The saturation is really, really nice. All of the negative space around each petal is dope. It's dope. It's solid. I was literally scared for you. I thought this was going south real quick, or real slow.
Yeah. I was literally just trying to take the challenge word for word with what they wanted, clean, simple and, like, to the point American traditional. JOEL MADDEN: Let's see the next tattoo. That's mine. JOEL MADDEN: Nice lines, nice colors. RYAN ASHLEY: It's readable, bold, saturated. I think this person is a technician. Hell, yeah. DJ TAMBE: On the artistic side of it, the ropes could have benefited from separation from the mask itself.
They hug it a bit too hard, but overall, beautiful tattoo. Japanese for sure and straight to the point. I'm very happy, I think. Your tattoo was sick. [LAUGHS] JOEL MADDEN: Moving on. Let's see the next tattoo. Oh, that's my turn now. DJ TAMBE: I like this one. It's super clean. It's crispy. Great composition. The way the petals fall, where the flowers are, the way the ropes frame the piece and flow with the body.
Some of this linework could cut a fucking tomato. It is sharp. They showed us bold lines, thin lines, beautiful, clean saturation, and a really lovely, simple, sophisticated design. I was worried about the linework. I took the longest time on lines. I guess it paid off. Oh, my God. I'm going to cry. Woo! JOEL MADDEN: Young Guns, today, you had five hours to tattoo in one of three distinct styles. Based only on your work, each of your tattoos have been ranked by the judges.
This is intense. 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 a spot on the team of Young Guns. Please reveal the highest ranked tattoo. Who's it going to be? Ohh-- JOEL MADDEN: Congratulations, Alena. You have the highest ranked tattoo for the Young Guns, and you have the first spot on the team. Well done. Why did you decide to do Japanese? Because it was the scariest thing out of the three. Good answer. With a tattoo this clean, I think you're ready for this competition.
It's a beautiful tattoo. Thank you so much. JOEL MADDEN: Have a seat. Also, the one who's been tattooing the longest. Please reveal the second highest ranked tattoo. [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC] Oh, that's mine. JOEL MADDEN: Congratulations, Joseph. You have the second highest ranked tattoo. Thank you. RYAN ASHLEY: It was a perfect sticker. Thank you, guys. Go ahead and join your team. Good job, man. Thank you. JOEL MADDEN: Please reveal the third highest ranked tattoo.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC] Congratulations, Jade. You have the third highest ranked tattoo. Thank you. JOEL MADDEN: How long have you been tattooing. Like just over three years. JOEL MADDEN: Three years? Wow. This tattoo is bold and solid and really impressive for someone that's been tattooing only three years. That's crazy. JOEL MADDEN: Congratulations, Jade. You have the third spot on the team. Thank you. Congratulations on making it to the finale. For your first "Master" canvas, you had 24 hours to tattoo anything you wanted-- God damn.
JOEL MADDEN: --a whole back piece to prove your strengths and show us why you deserve the title of Ink Master. Wow, anything you want. Let's see how it went. What do you think? That is sick. Just a striking Image. I think it's going to pay off in the end-- - 100%, yeah. - --right? Artists, you have 24 hours for your "Master" canvas back piece, and your time starts now. This is the worst part. We have two OGs and one Young Gun. But at this point, it's anybody's game.
Good luck, bud. I got this. My tattoo is a Medusa. There's a lot of things that can go wrong with this tattoo. The face, it has to be bang on. The hand, that has to be perfect. And I'm not going to hold back on the snakes. I'm going to show dimension, twisting, turning. I know in this tattoo I'm showing off. But this is the time to show every trick I have and leave it all in the skin. Oh, [BLEEP].
Oh, no. You got some schmutz on you. Another pair of jeans gone. Pentheus is pretty cool. It's a big, big wing. I'm so proud. But I still hope he fails. Hands down, Anthony is one of the toughest competitors in this competition. But if I have to beat him to win the title, so be it. I had to do the snake and head last, OK? If you want anything in life, you have to go out and get it yourself because no one's going to give shit to you.
I battled my way here, and he battled his way here. So we're not going to stop now. He's going to have to try to beat me to win that title also. A 24-hour back piece. We'll just take it off if you don't want it. I think this one's going to take the win. JOEL MADDEN: The time has come to critique your 24-hour "Master" canvas back pieces. The style and subject were completely up to you. Shitting my pants right now, man. James, you're up first. Whoa! Damn! RYAN ASHLEY: In the history of this competition, no one chooses a Medusa because they're usually the kiss of death.
Not only do you have to render a female face, you have to render multiple snakes. JAMES TEX: One of my favorite subject matters is tattooing female form. And, you know, the reference is right from my head, so I'm pretty proud of that. RYAN ASHLEY: There is so much beauty in the composition. The glowing flare in her eye is centered with the center of the back, and then you have that perfect bend of the snake right under that. So even though this composition is asymmetrical, you still have this perfect line up that spine. it's so successful. The anatomy is beautiful, bro. The way the angle of her head is with her hand and holding that snake, it really has a beautiful, timeless look.
I love the underbelly of Medusa's throat, which matched that underbelly of like a snake. It's really subtle. It's really cool. I also like that you brought tails into this. You think of a regular Medusa, you know those snakes grow from her head. I do it so there's not so many snakes. Big readable snakes have better effect. JOEL MADDEN: It's a bold choice. It could go really wrong. And this went really right for you.
It's a great tattoo, James. Thank you. So good. Thanks. JOEL MADDEN: It's now time to find out which one of you is one step closer to $250,000 and the title of Ink Master. All right, It's time to vote. Good luck, buddy. RYAN ASHLEY: Looking at this Medusa, every single piece is so methodical. It's so well thought out. Thank you. My vote is for James. That means, James, you do have what it takes to be Ink Master.
It is an overwhelming feeling. Anthony, give us a hug. You [BLEEP] deserve this, all right? Judges, it's time to determine which artist will get to tattoo their whiteboard designs. Congratulations, Matt, Keahi, Isnard, Kira, Alli, Luka, and Emily. You are all moving forward and will have the first opportunity to secure your shot.
Oh-- This feels good. The style, the subject matter that's on your whiteboard has to be in your tattoo. You cannot add stuff. You cannot remove stuff, but you can rearrange it and tweak it to be the best possible version of that design that it could be. DJ TAMBE: Every tattoo from this point on needs to be your absolute best. Swing for the fences. So this is me as a frog. So-- - I-- - --getting lit. - --love that.
All right, stress begins. Woo-hoo! All right, let's go. These whiteboard designs were impressive, but they're just a rough draft. Oh, my god, this is so-- Are they going to impress us with their translation, or are they going to drop the ball? Perfect. It's never that easy. That's a great sign. Man, if you can't come in and tattoo your own design, it ain't your time to shine.
Sick. NIKKO HURTADO: I'm looking for some hometown home runs. Game time. Everyone has been tattooing longer than me here. Oh, wait. No, no, no. One girl is 21. She's tattooing a frog today. ALLI JOHNSON: Everyone is really good. I knew that was going to be the case. My work stands out because it pulls you in, and it makes you want to see more. And just like me, I love attention. And so I love it even more to put that attention seeking in my work.
Uh-oh, trouble. - Oh, yeah. - What's up, guys. Don't look. How is he from? ALLI JOHNSON: I still have to pull a shit ton of color lines. I'm obviously far younger than anyone else here, but I know that I'm just as good as all these old fuckers. There's one person in the competition that I do not like. CLIENT: Is it just like a vibe check? ALLI JOHNSON: Ego. How is that feeling of having your name called first out there?
Dude, I hate being the center of attention. It's so weird to me. I might come off as a chill island guy, but I don't think anyone here should underestimate me. I specialize in blending both Polynesian and Japanese tattooing together. It's not just combining images, but being able to combine stories that actually make sense together. White board to white leg, that's something we don't get much back home. JOEL MADDEN: Seven of you proved your drawing skills and were selected to tattoo.
Let's see how you did. Keahi, you're up. You designed this on a whiteboard, and it was huge. You showed us a giant, clean design, and you showed us a precise, small design. You show a lot of tricks here. I love that negative transparency. And also, your gradients of your gray shade are really subtle and soft. RYAN ASHLEY: It's not all the time artists have such a strong control on tiny linework like that, with no blowouts, no inconsistencies. That in itself is a feat.
Cool, mahalo. Oh, that's nice. Yeah, really cool, man. Alli? I love it, and I love that you showed all this really delicate line work. This shows a lot of confidence. I love how you pull the sun behind the KC. It's a cooler interaction and seems much more purposeful. I did what I could with the 25 fucking elements that I did on the whiteboard. RYAN ASHLEY: I love the creativity. I love the ballsy approach, I love it.
Crushed it. This week, you are being tested on your ability to draw and execute. Round one was your first opportunity to secure a shop in this competition. Gotta earn that shit. Based on your work, the judges have decided the first artist to secure their shop is-- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC] --Alli. Yeah. Good job. - Well done. - Good job. Well deserved. I mean, Alli, your tattoo was super clean. You were really honest. And that takes a lot of guts. And I think that's badass.
Alli, you have earned the first shop in season 17. The judges have decided the second artist to earn their shop is-- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC] --Keahi. Yes, sir. Thanks, man. Good job. RYAN ASHLEY: You really showed us who you are as a person and as a tattooer. Congratulations. Thanks. 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. How are you, man? Nice to meet you, man. You got some Japanese coming your way today, mate. Oh, hell yeah. It's going to be cool. This is going to be a fight to the finish. We got four amazing artists creating 24-hour back pieces. Good luck, guys. DJ TAMBE: They got to pick their style, their subject. There's no limitations. That's her, mate. This is where I started, but I just warmed you up.
CLIENT: Yeah. I've done, like, 50 on your backs, 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. CLIENT: What's the plan when you win this shit? Travel and enjoying my life. I've 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 that has ever been done. I can't do it without you. The time has come to critique your 24-hour "Master" canvases. I don't know if I want to hear this.
JOEL MADDEN: The style and subjects were completely up to you. Good luck, whatever comes. JOEL MADDEN: Matt? Here we go. JOEL MADDEN: You called Japanese. I'm 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 have to 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.
RYAN ASHLEY: The strategy of leaving all of your negative space in the center. DJ TAMBE: It looked white. - It looked 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. One of my favorite things too, are the veins and the eyeballs that push up to the top with the horns, because everything'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. All right, judges, it's time to vote. What the fuck? DJ TAMBE: I'm going to go with bold, striking, and creative. My vote's for Matt. JOEL MADDEN: That means, Matt, you do have what it takes to be Ink Master. Hey! I'm fucking so stoked right now.
You fucking earned it, man. Thank you. You fucking earned it. [AUDIO LOGO]
