Series synopsis
Ink Master is an American reality television series that premiered on Spike on January 17, 2012. It stars Dave Navarro, Joel Madden, Chris Núñez and Ryan Ashley Malarkey.
A group of the country's most creative and skilled tattoo artists compete for a hundred thousand dollars and the title of Ink Master. The stakes couldn't be higher with "living canvasses" donating their skin to be permanently marked in this adrenalized competition elimination.
Premise
A group of the country's most creative and skilled tattoo artists compete for a hundred thousand dollars and the title of Ink Master. The stakes couldn't be higher with "living canvasses" donating their skin to be permanently marked in this adrenalized competition elimination.
Premise: Which generation will conquer the competition?
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Dave Navarro as Self - Host
- Joel Madden as Self - Host
- Chris Núñez as Self - Judge
- Ryan Ashley Malarkey as Self - Judge
- Oliver Peck as Self - Judge
- Nikko Hurtado as Self - Judge
- Ami James as Self - Judge
- DJ Tambe as Self - Judge
Guest cast
- Hugh Jackman as Himself - Guest Judge
- Ton Jones as Himself - Guest Judge
- Todd Weinberger as Himself - Guest Judge
- Scott Campbell as Himself - Guest Judge
- Chris Andersen as Himself - Guest Judge
- Jack Rudy as Himself - Guest Judge
Episodes
This series spans 18 seasons with 238 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 11 | September 2, 2014 | April 15, 2020 |
| Season 1 | 8 | January 17, 2012 | March 6, 2012 |
| Season 2 | 13 | October 9, 2012 | December 18, 2012 |
| Season 3 | 13 | July 16, 2013 | October 8, 2013 |
| Season 4 | 13 | February 25, 2014 | May 20, 2014 |
| Season 5 | 16 | September 2, 2014 | December 16, 2014 |
| Season 6 | 16 | June 23, 2015 | October 14, 2015 |
| Season 7 | 13 | March 1, 2016 | May 24, 2016 |
| Season 8 | 16 | August 23, 2016 | December 6, 2016 |
| Season 9 | 16 | June 6, 2017 | September 26, 2017 |
| Season 10 | 16 | January 9, 2018 | April 24, 2018 |
| Season 11 | 16 | August 28, 2018 | December 18, 2018 |
| Season 12 | 16 | June 11, 2019 | September 24, 2019 |
| Season 13 | 15 | January 7, 2020 | April 14, 2020 |
| Season 14 | 10 | September 7, 2022 | November 2, 2022 |
| Season 15 | 10 | November 1, 2023 | December 20, 2023 |
| Season 16 | 10 | October 23, 2024 | December 11, 2024 |
| Season 17 | 10 | October 29, 2025 | December 17, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Most Controversial: You Choose Live Relive the craziest Ink Master moments with Dave Navarro: wild fights, busted tattoos and epic eliminations. America votes for the most insane moment. |
September 2, 2014 |
| 2 |
Merry Ink Tatu Baby, Sausage, Jime Litwalk and James Vaughn vie for redemption and a shot at $10k as they tattoo Christmas-obsessed canvases with holiday tattoos. |
December 23, 2014 |
| 3 |
New Year's Ink It's a clash of big egos when Josh Hibbard, Gentle Jay, Al Fliction, and Cee Jay return to battle for redemption and $10k. |
December 30, 2014 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Fresh Meat Ten of the best tattoo artists on the planet tattoo Human Canvases in a series of extreme challenges. The first Artist is eliminated on the path to determining who will earn a $100,000 prize and the title of Ink Master. |
January 17, 2012 |
| 2 |
Botched Head Tattoo A head tattoo becomes a medical emergency and tempers explode when Heather challenges the judges. Ton Jones serves as Guest Judge and a second artist is eliminated from the competition, losing the chance to win $100K. |
January 24, 2012 |
| 3 |
Pasties and a Cameltoe Naked women heat up the competition and another head tattoo sparks a fight between Al and Bili. A third artist is eliminated from the competition and the chance to win $100K |
January 31, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Tattooing the Dead A visit to the morgue launches 16 of the best tattoo artists into a brutal competition to determine who's #1 and "tattoo virgins" get their first taste of ink with one ending in a permanent disaster! |
October 9, 2012 |
| 2 |
Semi Nude 911 Semi nude women heat up the competition, a medical emergency threatens the future of one artist, and NFL Linebacker Terrell Suggs is a guest judge. |
October 9, 2012 |
| 3 |
The 80 Year Old Virgin A botched American flag and a backwards eagle tattoo cause veterans' patriotic tempers to flare and a third artist loses their shot at $100,000 dollars and the title of Ink Master. |
October 16, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Baby Got Back 16 new artists find themselves tattooing in prison. Tatu Baby returns and the Human Canvases vote to eliminate one artist as the battle for $100,000 & the title of Ink Master begins. |
July 16, 2013 |
| 2 |
Thrills For Grills Artists permanently ink human canvases with gruesome realistic tattoos of blood, guts, and organs. A betrayal leads to an explosive fight in the loft. Tennessee Titans Running Back Chris Johnson is a Guest Judge. |
July 23, 2013 |
| 3 |
Tattoos And Lace Skimpy lingerie heats up the flash challenge and a major twist leaves the Artists fighting for their lives. A difficult human canvas leads to the most shocking elimination in Ink Master history. |
July 30, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Earn It! A new crop of talented and cutthroat Artists learn they must first earn an Ink Master shop by tattooing hundreds of canvases Convention Style. |
February 25, 2014 |
| 2 |
Bug Out One artist snaps and is determined to leave the competition. Live poisonous scorpions, tarantulas and eyeballs are tattooed. |
March 4, 2014 |
| 3 |
Tatt Ganged Bikini clad twins try to endure the remaining 10 tattoo artists all drilling them at once. An injury sends one Artist to the emergency ward. |
March 11, 2014 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Inking With The Enemy 18 Rival Artists enter for $100k and the Ink Master title. It's their worst nightmare as they're forced to ink with their enemy. |
September 2, 2014 |
| 2 |
Pin Up Pittfalls Semi-nude models bring the heat and a game changing twist is revealed. Jacked pin ups make the critique a bloodbath & rivalries flare. |
September 9, 2014 |
| 3 |
Head to Headache Josh ignites rivalries while two artists receive an advantage no one in the competition has ever had and their cutthroat strategy has tension soaring. |
September 16, 2014 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Meet Your Maker In the season premiere, apprentices battle their masters to prove they are the best. |
June 23, 2015 |
| 2 |
Fight or Flight Oliver Peck's mentor guest judges, delivering a smack down when the artists take on his specialty. |
June 30, 2015 |
| 3 |
Sink or Swim It's sink or swim when the artists team up to ink underwater ocean scenes on the back of canvas' hands. |
July 7, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Initiation The battle for $100,000 begins as new artists compete in the most intense Flash Challenge to date; the competition heats up when the first veteran artist returns seeking revenge. |
March 1, 2016 |
| 2 |
One Man's Trash Egos collide when the artists get their hands dirty in a team Flash Challenge; another veteran returns. |
March 8, 2016 |
| 3 |
Salt in the Wound In the Flash Challenge, working in teams of two leaves some of the Artists feeling salty and a Veteran Artist schemes to take back control. The battle continues for 100K and the title of Ink Master. |
March 15, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Weeding Out The Weak The judges show no mercy as 30 artists fight to earn one of the 18 spots on teams Peck and Nunez. |
August 23, 2016 |
| 2 |
The Game Begins In the first Flash Challenge, Team Peck and Team Nunez must work together in an intense tattoo challenge. |
August 30, 2016 |
| 3 |
Ruffled Feathers Team Nunez seeks revenge in the next Flash Challenge and an artist betrays Team Beck in their first Elimination Tattoo. |
September 6, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Fire & Ice In the season premiere, tattooing is a team sport as artists from nine of America’s best shops arrive ready to battle it out for a massive $200K and the first ever title of Master Shop. |
June 6, 2017 |
| 2 |
Crossing the Line A massive twist shakes up the competition and a painstaking Flash Challenge puts relationships to the test. |
June 13, 2017 |
| 3 |
Unnatural Disasters A fiery veteran artist returns, taking the competition by storm; a difficult Flash Challenge exposes weaknesses in the shops. |
June 20, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pick Your Side Three of the most skilled Ink Masters return for a new challenge, but instead of battling alone they’ll coach teams of the top tattoo artists nationwide. The epic battle for $100K and the title of Ink Master begins. |
January 9, 2018 |
| 2 |
Fill’er Up The Competition is fierce and the Masters must coach their team in season 10’s first Flash Challenge, testing fundamentals. Some artists find their way in the Elimination Tattoo, but one hits a dead end and is sent packing. |
January 16, 2018 |
| 3 |
Divine Proportion The Masters face off to ensure the survival of their team; proportion skills are put to the test when the artists tattoo Greek deities. |
January 23, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Opening Shots Cleen Rock One and Christian Buckingham, two of Ink Master's most legendary rivals, return to the ring, and 22 new artists compete for spots on their teams. |
August 28, 2018 |
| 2 |
Not on My Watch Team Cleen and Team Christian go head to head in a flash challenge that tests their fundamentals, and time flies when the artists tackle a difficult elimination tattoo. |
September 4, 2018 |
| 3 |
Right on Target The teams face off in a high-pressure challenge using dominoes, and the elimination tattoo forces the artists to think outside the box. |
September 11, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Ink Will Speak For Itself Nine men and nine women kick off an epic battle of the sexes by going head to head in a team collaboration tattoo to prove they have what it takes to be the next Ink Master. |
June 11, 2019 |
| 2 |
A Storm Is Brewin' The judges unveil a new twist and bring in heavy-hitting veterans Joey Hamilton and Ryan Ashley to coach the teams, whose black-and-gray shading skills are put to the test. |
June 18, 2019 |
| 3 |
Down to the Wire Two-time veterans Bubba Irwin and Sarah Miller return to coach the men's and women's teams, and the artists showcase their knack for legibility by inking surrealistic tattoos. |
June 25, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rep Your Region The artists tattoo their home states and face blind critiques by the judges, a competitor makes a drastic choice, and patriotic tattoos decide someone's fate in the Face Off. |
January 7, 2020 |
| 2 |
Clash of the Collages The South aims to unify and rebound when the teams are tasked with a postcard mural on the side of a bus, and a compass rose elimination tattoo includes a game-changing twist. |
January 14, 2020 |
| 3 |
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work Ride or die, team tensions run high when the artists endure a tattoo marathon with the others from their home turf. The artists who fail to collaborate risk $100K and the title of Ink Master. |
January 21, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Legends Return 10 legends return to the Ink Master Shop and must immediately battle it out in an epic three round tattoo gauntlet for survival. The battle begins for $250,000 and the title of Ink Master. |
September 7, 2022 |
| 2 |
A Work of Art Alliances start to form as the first Flash Challenge pushes the Artists' creativity to the limit. Then, a Fine Art Elimination Tattoo has the artists creating museum worthy pieces. |
September 7, 2022 |
| 3 |
Devil's in the Details The Artists must make impressive illusions in an ultraviolet Flash Challenge, and every detail counts in an epic twist on Pin Up tattoos. |
September 14, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The New Ink Class 15 brand new Artists enter the competition and must immediately fight for a shop. A game-changing twist shakes up the competition. The battle begins for $250,000 and the title of Ink Master. |
November 1, 2023 |
| 2 |
Skull & Bones An illuminating first Flash Challenge puts the new teams to the test. In the Elimination Tattoo, a seemingly straightforward Subject Matter forces some of the Artists out of their comfort zone. The battle heats up for the title of Ink Master. |
November 1, 2023 |
| 3 |
Put Me In, Coach! The Artists must rely on their Coaches in the Flash Challenge to design for a very special Human Canvas. There's nowhere to hide with 360 degree Elimination Tattoos testing adaptability. |
November 1, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Divide of the Decade 16 new Artists enter the competition, divided into two teams based on how long they've been tattooing. The Artists must fight for a spot on their team. The Young Guns are up first and the battle for $250,000 and the title of Ink Master begins. |
October 23, 2024 |
| 2 |
Money Where Your Mouth Is With the Young Guns Team set, the OGs must now battle it out for a spot on their Team in another brutal double elimination. The battle for $250,000 and the title of Ink Master continues. |
October 23, 2024 |
| 3 |
Out of the Box, Onto the Skin The battle for $250,000 intensifies as the Young Guns and OGs go head to head for the first time. The team dynamics are put to the test in the first Flash Challenge and basic lettering tattoos push the Artists' creativity to the limit. |
October 23, 2024 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hometown Throwdown 15 global tattoo artists fight to represent their hometowns, but must first earn a spot to compete for $250k and the title of Ink Master. |
October 29, 2025 |
| 2 |
Back to the Drawing Board The fight for a shop continues as artists tattoo hometown animals. For some, it's back to the drawing board. The battle is just beginning. |
October 29, 2025 |
| 3 |
Gut Check In a team Flash Challenge, the Artists must paint with smoke. Glitter tattoos on the stomach have them struggling to shine, and an unexpected twist makes winning Tattoo of the Day more important than ever. |
October 29, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Spike |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 17, 2012 |
| Last aired | December 17, 2025 |
| Runtime | 42 minutes |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Schedule | Wednesday |