All language subtitles for Ink.Master.S16E02.720p.HEVC.x265-MeGusta

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[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.

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]

[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]

[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]

[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]

[music]