All language subtitles for Ink.Master.S16E05.en

♪ MTV ♪

[Male Narrator] Previously on
Ink Master.

I hope they shit the bed.

No, Joseph, no!

[Male Narrator] The artists felt
the heat in a flash challenge.

We're struggling.
We have less people.

[Jenna] I need to get the fuck
out of the sun.

I'm burnt to shit.

The Young Guns used ingenuity in
a way that the OGs didn't.

[DJ] It definitely falls
a lot flatter.

[Ryan] The OGs' came off
the canvas at you.

[Joel] Congratulations, OGs.

Yes, yes, yes!

[Male Narrator] In
the elimination tattoo,

metallic tattoos had
the artists fighting to shine.

Look at this,
from that fuckin' sunburn.

It's gonna be a rough day for
me.

[Joseph] I've never done
an armor tattoo.

This is a nightmare right now.

That tattoo that I put out today
doesn't represent me at all.

I don't feel like I have

the ability to put out
good tattoos.

You wanna be here?

Why I continually put myself
through something like that

is the question.

[dramatic music]

[Male Narrator] In
the elimination,

Trevor, Joseph, and Jenna
were in the bottom.

Jenna has decided to leave
the competition.

[DJ] No one is gonna just
hand you a briefcase

with $250,000 in it,
and that should be easy.

There's no progress without
change,

and change is uncomfortable.

This is gonna make you better.

I wanna win this competition.

I haven't gotten to show
you guys the work I'm proud of.

Well, Joseph,
it's your lucky day.

No one else is goin' home
this week.

We believe you both
wanna be here.

Step up and prove it
with your tattoos.

[Male Narrator] Ten artists
remain,

but only one will earn
a $250,000 prize

and the title of ink master.

[rock music revving up]

[rock music]

[dramatic music]

[Trevor] You got lucky as fuck.

I mean, just like,
completely shocked, you know?

Did anybody talk to Jenna
to Bail out?

The last time we saw her,
she was in a bad place, man.

I just feel like the competition
got to her.

I think she underestimated the,
the game part of it.

It gets hard, it gets hard.

What it is is when you get
critiqued

and you realize you did a tattoo
that you don't like,

we get sad, we get in ourselves.

- [Man] Yeah.
- Happen to all of us,

I've seen it happen to everyone
already,

and we're pissed off.

- Yeah.
- [James] So, we lash out

in a weird way, or we give up.

I've been getting my tattoos
torn up my entire life.

You just fuckin' keep goin'
forward.

[Cat] It's easier said than
done.

I mean, it's a mental battle
being here.

It just shows how hard this
competition's gonna push you,

and how we're all gonna be
pushed to limits that

we can't even anticipate.

[tense music]

[tense music]

[tense music]

[Anthony] Let's see what we got
today.

[Stephanie] Seeing a lot of
open area.

Look at all the colors!

Oh, we got some lifts.

We're gonna be makin'
some big art.

This is crazy.

Welcome.
Ten artists remain.

Six OGs...

[indistinct]

And four Young Guns.

That's us.

Slowly diminishing.

[Joel] For this flash challenge,

you will once again win or lose
as a team.

We gotta get this.

We need this.

We're two players down.

We need every advantage
we can get.

This week, we're testing
composition.

I love that one.

Composition is how your eye
flows through a piece.

You want it to have elements

that naturally lead you through
the design,

and have everything look
balanced.

Today, you must paint
a perfectly-composed masterpiece

of epic proportions.

And your canvas is grass.

[Man] What?

Grass?

Using field-marking paint and
industrial paint sprayers,

you must work as a team to
transform this massive field

into a perfectly-composed
work of art.

[Stephanie] I'm excited to do
something huge.

It's gonna be epic.

[Joel] When time is up,

your masterpieces will be viewed
from above,

and your massive images will be
revealed.

We'll be trimmin'
the competition.

We're gonna mow you down, bro.

- Ooh.
- Nice one.

Composition is where an artist
is telling the eyes

to move around on
a piece of art.

I mean, you're basically
airbrushing the ground.

What's crazy here is the scale.
The canvas size is enormous.

- Alright.
- Covering ground with

two less people is gonna be
tough.

But we gotta be smart.

[Joel] The winners of
this flash challenge

will have the power to assign
all the human canvases

in the elimination tattoo.

We need that.

We need skull pick this week
so I don't get screwed again.

You have six hours,
and your time starts now.

[dramatic music]

Alright!
What's our idea?

Let's do some doodles.

Whoever has
the strongest composition.

I wanna see a piece of art
that makes me forget

that this is painted on grass.

[Trevor] I think we should do
something

pretty straightforward.

It's gonna require you to have
a vision beyond your view.

[Jade] We need something like

foreground, middle ground,
background.

I'm looking for something
beautiful, something amazing,

and something I won't see
a dog leave on

the neighbor's lawn.

[Stephanie] I'm working on
my chameleon.

My daughter, she has
a pet chameleon,

and I think that would be
the perfect animal

to show composition.

He can reach so high,

and he'll typically have one
down here

and he'll have one that comes
out above his head,

and he'll hold onto something.

[James] So, that is composition
just where we put the hand.

Right in front, a big fly.

- Yes.
- [James] Boom.

Whatever the fuck he'll be
catching.

[Stephanie] Yeah.

Use that perspective.

[Trevor] I think that we should
do,

maybe, just, like,
a big beetle with a flower,

like it's like goin'
for a flower.

[Cat] Yeah, beetle with
a flower.

I think that we're all feeling
a little bit nervous about

having less people on our team
than the OGs.

[Cat] If the beetle is here,

then we can do background,
we can show dimension there.

And then doing, like,
foreground petals or whatever.

Having the beetle kind of, like,
sit in it.

[Trevor] Being even more behind
the eight-ball now,

we gotta, like, really step it
up.

We gotta figure out a way
to grid it out.

You know when you grid something
in [indistinct],

and you, like, draw it out,
so you just draw each square

and it comes together as
a big picture?

It's the same kinda thing,
right?

I feel like that's
the smartest route to go.

[Joseph] Lead the way, Trevor.

I don't wanna try to just
eyeball,

have somebody standing up there,
being like, "Go to your left."

- That's just...
- That's what I would do.

- Okay.
- [James] I don't,

I don't know how to do it.

But you guys know how to do
that.

Basically, if you guys can put
a dot.

- Yeah.
- Literally a dot on the grass

every ten feet.

Then we have a reference point.

Anything that you bring to
scale,

ratios and math are pretty
important.

We're gonna have to get
a good grid system

to make sure we scale this thing
accurately.

This measurement's fucked up
here, guys.

So, we're missin' a ten
right here.

That's where we fucked up.

- You start over here?
- [Anthony]We started doin' five.

One thing must've fucked up
somewhere,

because we're off by, like,
five feet,

and, you know, five feet's big.

Now we're just puttin' dots
everywhere.

[James] Yeah, I know we're off,
Anthony, you understand?

- I know.
- [James] What, what's this,

what's this, then?

- [Anthony] That was five feet.
- [James] Exactly.

You need every ten.

- [Anthony] What the fuck?
- [James]Who decided to do fives,

- I fuckin' don't.
- [indistinct]

[James] But we needed tens.

[Anthony] no one said tens,
we just started doin' fives.

[James] Yeah, well, this is
a big waste of fuckin' time.

I don't know anything about
numbers and stuff.

So, I'm just gonna start
drawing, man.

I just don't know.

We'll draw a center line
down the thing, okay?

And then that's gonna be
our guide to go off of

on the grid.

'Cause we can build off
the center line with the grid.

We just gotta get to it.
Like, it's a big field, man.

Artists, you have five hours
left.

One person here, here, here,
and here,

- so we're all working together.
- Together.

You guys wanna sketch this out?

- [Jade] Yeah.
- [Cat] And I go up,

and I, I can tell you guys if
it's lining up or not.

- [Trevor] Sure.
- Yeah.

[dramatic music]

[Trevor] You see the grid
pretty well?

- [Cat] Yeah.
- [Trevor] Alright, cool.

I see it perfectly, actually.

Oh shit, I'm so sorry.

[dramatic music]

Can you guys hear me?

Use us as little marker points.

If you want us to move around,
mark...

[Cat] James, please stop
talking.

Your voice makes me wanna vomit.

Respect your elders.

[Stephanie] J, where is
my end point

of the tail, where I'm standing?

Uh, probably below
the white line.

[Stephanie] Okay.

[James] Where the stem is,

it looks like it's goin'
right into his mouth.

- So, we don't want...
- This is his tongue.

- This is his tongue.
- This is his tongue.

[James] I apologize.

[rock music]

[James] It looks perfect from
up here.

[rock music]

[Stephanie] I feel like the eye
needs to be over more.

[James] Yeah, I don't have...

What, you haven't been drawing?

Your drawing is better, so...

'Cause his head's turning and
looking at that bug.

- [James] Yeah.
- So, you wouldn't see

an eye way over here.

I think Steph has to get up
there.

- Anybody who drew it.
- Okay.

[Anthony] He doesn't even know
what animal it is.

- You know what you're doing.
- Yeah.

This is lookin' messy.

I really wanna be in the lead
on this one.

Comin' down.

It was my idea to choose
a chameleon,

so I feel like it's my duty.

I was drawin' it too flat,
and she had it more on an angle.

[Jorell] We just need
a good director, you know?

I may not be the loudest one
in the room,

but today they're gonna hear me
and see how much potential

I can bring to this team.

Do you see that bottom line?

That is actually the top of
the mouth.

Yep, right there.

Like that?

Yep.

Trev, can you make that one
a little bigger right there?

[Trevor] The whole point of
having a front leaf

was that we didn't have to do
a stem down here.

But the front leaf, right now,
it's cutting it off in a square,

and we don't want that.

[Trevor] Fuck me, dude.

Reload!

You have four hours.

[tense music]

[Joseph] Goddamn it.

Mixing colors.

"It'll be cool.
It'll be fun," they said.

[tense music]

We are gonna need a back leg,
though, unfortunately, guys.

[Stephanie] Is it at this angle?

Run, Cat, run.

I'm just getting my steps in!

Too much yellow.

James [indistinct]

- [indistinct].
- [Stephanie] It's too hard to

see from where we're at

which angle it's supposed to
be at.

It'd be more flayed out lower.

- [Stephanie] Like...?
- Yeah.

[Anthony] So, tell us where to
stand.

[Stephanie] Where's the top of
the knee?

I have no idea how they look.

[Stephanie] Oh my God.

Yeah, I gotta draw it on
a piece of paper,

'cause I can't frickin'...

[Trevor] It's tough goin' up
against

the composition fuckin' gods
over there.

We'll have to sync up where
this leaf is gonna come back.

We're gonna throw brown in
this leaf, right?

You have two hours remaining.

[tense music]

[Stephanie] We have, like,
no detail in our head yet.

[James] Wasn't necessarily
detail that they asked,

it was the composition.

Let's hit the mark first before
we move onto that stuff.

'Cause with no composition,
you're dead in the water.

[tense music]

Cat, you wanna do the drop
shadows on these things?

- That way just everything is...
- [Cat] Yeah.

Consistent with what you've
already done,

and the light source that you
picked for the bug.

You know what I mean?

We just need to do a heavy,
broad shadow

with the green over here.

Perfect, right there.

[Jade] Like a soft one, or...?

Like following the shape of
the petal.

Oh, like this.

[Cat] Yeah.
And try to fade it out.

[Trevor] Try not to get
too close.

Try to get that really
light blend,

you know what I mean?

There is one hour left.

[tense music]

With that same green stuff...

- Yeah.
- [Pony] Above the arm

and to the right of the arm,
and below the arm.

'Bout three seconds.

[tense music]

[Jade] I need a manicure
after this, seriously.

[dramatic music]

[Joel] Five, four, three,
two, one.

That's it, time's up.
No more paint.

Woo!

- Woo!
- Now just to be judged.

We did it, guys.

It's time to critique your work.

OGs, you're up first.
Let's go up.

Ah!

[dramatic music]

Oh, yeah.

Whoa! [chuckling]

[DJ] Big, bold,
it's got a lot goin' on.

It's imaginative,

it feels like we're watching
a scene

in a cartoon or something.

You guys were ballsy enough to
put a majority of your image

in a perfect box.

You broke up the top,
you broke you the bottom,

and you brought the artwork
outside of that rectangle.

[Nikko] Even the color play has
composition in it,

from the purple above

to the purple down here in
the wings

and then the purple in
the corner,

and it just bounces your eye
around.

[Ryan] It's just so balanced.

It nails it,
nails the challenge.

- [Stephanie] I'm so proud.
- Good job, good job.

[Joel] Young Guns, let's take
a look at your work.

Take us up.

[dramatic music]

[Ryan] It's rad.

The higher you get,
the better they look.

[DJ] I love the composition
in this.

You only have a couple elements,

and it still brings my eye all
the way around through it.

I like how the stem in
the center of the leaf

comes all the way to the face

and then drops all the way out
and loops your eye back in.

I really love the head of
the beetle

and the body of the beetle

and the colors and the way they
move on the body.

You packed all the colors in
all over the piece,

like, the color is really solid.

I wish you guys could've
committed to drop shadows

rather than using black to form
out this box around it.

But the amount of detail

and how precise the detail is in
the beetle

is really impressive.

[All] Thanks, guys.

[Jade] No fighting,
just fighting with paint today.

[Joel] It's time to determine

the winner of
the flash challenge.

[Nikko] Great composition in
both of 'em.

It's very close.

They both got great movement
within the piece

and great readability.

I love the negative with
the OGs,

I love the way they utilized
color play in the composition.

[Joel] The OGs decided to go
very big.

In doing that,

you put yourself at risk for
mistakes.

The chameleon's not easiest
thing to read.

The Young Guns' is super clean
and readable and clear.

My vote is for the Young Guns.

- Thank you, Joel.
- Thank you.

[Ryan] I am really, really,
really impressed by

the Young Guns this week.

But my vote goes to the OGs,

because they showed us
composition with color,

balance, negative space.

It's a hard decision.
Both amazing pieces, beautiful.

My vote's for the OGs.

They hit composition on
the head.

[All] Thank you.

That is one vote for
the Young Guns,

two votes for the OGs.

Both of 'em had
amazing composition

in different ways.

[dramatic music]

My vote is for the OGs.

Yes!

[laughter]

That's such a relief.

[Joel] The judges have decided

the winner of
the flash challenge

is Team OGs.

Good job, guys.

As a team, you will have
the power to assign

all the human canvases in
the elimination tattoo.

- Yes.
- Yes, yes.

Ah, goddamn it.

They get the skull pick again.

They're definitely gonna be
throwin' shots.

[Joel] Get some rest,

and we'll see you tomorrow in
the shop

for the elimination tattoo.

[tense music]

[dramatic music]

[Stephanie] I'm so thankful we
get the skull pick.

[James] Yeah, same.

[Jorell] Yeah, so, what are we
gonna do with 'em?

We have to obviously target Cat.

Cat's a threat.
She's really good.

I think we should target Trevor,

just because he can pack stuff
in, and he's great at lining.

He does solid tattoos.

There's only four of 'em.

We're gonna target all of 'em,
right?

I really wanna see
only OGs in the end.

Let's keep the momentum going.
Literally make it a clean sweep.

Let's go undefeated.

[dramatic music]

Welcome.

As more artists are eliminated,

the pressure of this competition
gets more intense.

Thanks, Pony.

In the end, only one of you will
earn $250,000

and the title of ink master.

Goin' for it.

Today, you must battle it out
tattooing...

[rock music]

A Japanese samurai.

[rock music]

Yes!
I love Japanese tattoos.

Especially samurai, I do 'em
every second day.

This is right up my alley.

There's gonna be a lot of
different styles for sure, too.

Right.

With the intricacies that go
into the armor, the sword;

the craftsmanship that is behind
a samurai...

The challenge ask is intense.

It's gonna be a tough one.

God, another thing I'm just not
comfortable doing.

Composition is gonna be
the most important thing.

The way it fits the body,
the dynamic poses of a samurai.

They're just badass,
they're tough.

Also remember composition lies
in how

you arrange the detail,
the texture.

This isn't traditional Japanese.

Be expressive, be yourselves.
Create a clean, composed tattoo.

[tense music]

Remember, the team whose artist
wins tattoo of the day

will form the jury of peers,

and that team will deliberate

and put one artist up for
elimination

regardless of the team.

Let's meet your canvases.

This is the most
nerve-wracking part.

[tense music]

OGs.
You won the flash challenge.

You now have the power to assign
all the canvases as a team.

This is your chance to slay
the competition.

Choose wisely.

[Stephanie] Last week, Cat ended
up getting a tattoo

where she could really show off.

And this week, we're not gonna
let that happen again.

What would you like to get
today?

A black and gray
Japanese samurai head

wearing an Oni mask on my back.

A colorful Japanese samurai,

red armor with Oni mask,
and black and white finger waves

on my right thigh.

A colorful, traditional samurai
wearing a robe,

holding a katana,
battling an Oni on my ribs.

[dramatic music]

That's a lot.
And on the ribs?

Like, no thank you.

Colorful, traditional
Japanese female samurai

wearing a floral kimono,

fighting an Oni mask
in a bamboo forest

on my upper arm.

Black and gray
traditional Japanese samurai

in full armor, riding a bull.

Colorful Japanese
armored samurai on horseback,

shooting a bow and arrow
on my chest.

[Jorell] None of these sound
great,

but that one has a horse,
and I like horses.

Black and gray Japanese samurai,
glowing blue eyes,

fighting a snake.

Black and gray Japanese
female samurai with armor,

wielding a katana.

Fuck.

Colorful traditional
Japanese samurai

holding a katana on my thigh.

Black and gray
traditional Japanese samurai

guarding a cherry blossom tree
with a red sun on my thigh.

Well, that's cool.

Yep.

I'm screwed.

[Stephanie] Can I have
the last one?

I don't tattoo a whole lot of
Japanese,

and I never tattoo samurais.

This is my worst subject
right now.

[Pony] Uh, yeah, I don't know
what to do.

Samurais just have
a lot going on.

We don't have time for
a lot of details.

It's like a recipe for disaster.

How you guys feelin'?

[Jade] I've done a couple.

[Stephanie] I think we should
trust our gut.

Cat is getting something
traditional.

Yes.

Rib tattoos are never fun.

[Stephanie] The female that
wasn't gonna budge.

The one with the bamboo.

[Anthony] Yeah.

This canvas seems pretty set
on what she wants.

This one's for you.

I don't think Trevor's gonna be
able to persuade her out of it.

I'm ready to get the strongest
Young Guns outta here.

[Joel] Canvases, one by one,

please read the artist's name
on the bottom of your skull.

Anthony.

That's me.

James.

That's me.

[dramatic music]

Cat.

[tense music]

I have tattooed samurais in
sensitive areas,

and I don't have an hour to deal
with his pain.

I need to move the placement.

- Trevor.
- Yo.

I can't even remember all
the things that she wanted.

It's like...

Perfect.

Joseph?

That's me.

How am I gonna do
a Japanese samurai

riding a bull?

Fuck.

Jorell.

That's me, bud.

- Lucy.
- That's me.

- Pony.
- That'd be me.

- Stephanie.
- That's me.

Jade?

That's me.

- No.
- [Trevor] You got a samurai?

I got a samurai.

I got a samurai.

You will have six hours to
create

a Japanese samurai tattoo.

If your tattoos aren't ready for
battle,

you will be packing
your machines.

Good luck.

[Man] How are you?

Nice to meet you.

It's nice to meet you.

[Joseph] Bro, I am very excited.

I've done my fair share of
samurais back home, so...

Perfect.

I love creative control by
the artist,

so you get to do whatever you
want, bro.

- [Joseph] Really?
- Yeah.

Tell me your idea.

Traditional Japanese
in color, full color.

What's the placement for this?

I was gonna do it on my ribs.

[Cat] That one's tough.
Bold linework on the ribs, um...

You're set on the placement?

[Man] Honestly, that right there
was my second choice.

[Cat] Oh yeah, that's what I do,
so I can give you that.

If you can kill that,
do that on my calf.

I can give you a sick-ass
black and gray.

I could go hard.

I've tattooed this,
I have experience with this.

This is gonna be good.

Alright, so you want
a female samurai.

- Female.
- Yeah.

I was thinkin' about an Oni mask
kinda floatin' somewhere.

Sometimes, you just try puttin
too much stuff into it,

and it can kinda muddy
the idea up.

I would like holding a katana
in some type of a striking,

- or looking like there is...
- We can maybe figure that out.

Some type of a battle or
a fight or something.

Okay, she at least has a sword
in her hands or

- something like that, okay.
- Yeah.

- Cool.
- Yeah.

You want
black and gray or color?

- I would like color.
- You want color?

- I want color.
- Like, full color?

Uh...

I, I want, yeah.

The size of this tattoo and
the amount of time that we have

and the amount of detail,

I'm a little bit worried that

I'll be able to get through
this thing in full color.

I'm pretty nervous.

[tense music]

[dramatic music]

Artists.

You have six hours to create

a perfectly-composed
Japanese samurai,

and your time starts now.

Now we have 5 hours and
59 minutes.

Today, we're testing composition
with Japanese samurai tattoos.

[Joseph] You're the best, bro.

There's a lotta elements in
a Japanese samurai tattoo.

You have armor, a helmet,
swords, weapons.

If these elements aren't
arranged in the right areas,

it's just gonna be
a chaotic mess.

[Pony] Ooh, I love it when it
goes on right the first time.

Sharpen your blades,
slice and dice,

and take out these opponents.

Well, they cheap shorts?

[Man] You can cut 'em.

[James] You got anything
valuable in there?

- [Man] Nope.
- Okay.

If you want your thigh tattooed
by me,

I'm cuttin' your fuckin'
shorts off,

or you're goin',
you're free ballin'.

I don't give a shit.

Who wants to hold
their fuckin' shorts up

like this, eh, for six hours?
It's stupid.

[Man] Yeah, it's gonna be sweet.

- [James] Big piece?
- Yeah.

[James] Big...
That's small.

Well, I know, I know what
you're gonna do to it.

I've done for sure 50,

maybe close to 100 samurais in
my career,

so it's just another day
in the office.

Okay, now we're gonna start out
with a small line,

and then, uh, we'll dive in.

[tense music]

[Man] Did you always, like,
love to draw

and that sort of thing?

- [Anthony] Always, yeah.
- [Man] Okay.

[Anthony] Started my
apprenticeship

at 17 with my father, tattooing.

[Man] That's wicked.

Like, I just thought just my dad
was a cool tattoo artist.

- [Man] Yeah, that's so cool.
- [Anthony] And, like, you start

gettin' into it,
I'm just like...

[Man] Not everybody's dad
is like that.

He's actually, he's actually
really fuckin' good.

[Man] Yeah? [chuckling]

Like, I gotta fuckin' step
my shit up.

Apprenticing under James
[indistinct]

was the hardest thing I will
ever do in my entire life.

Crumpling up your drawings,
you know, redo it.

You know, some days were tough,

and I had to drive him home
after.

Yeah, my dinner's would never be
the same.

Yeah, it's just funny how, like,
just before we came,

my mom was just like,

"At the end of the day,
you're family."

And I'm like, "I know.
I'm still kickin' his ass."

James is the biggest threat
here.

But I know everything that
he does.

He taught me everything.

So, being here,
I'm just next to him.

I'm not under him.

I have to fuckin' beat him.

[intense music]

[dramatic music]

Artists, there are four hours
left.

[dramatic music]

The whole environment is,
like, so much different.

- Like, the stress, and...
- [Man] Yeah.

It's wild.

[dramatic music]

[DJ] How you feelin' about this?

It could've been a better day
for me.

This week, I had one of
my Achilles' heels.

But I do tattoo a lot of faces,

and I tattoo a lot of
metallic things.

So, having a realistic face in
there

with a nice, shiny sword,

this may just work out after
all.

This is a big one for you
for this amount of time.

Would you say?

I let my team, uh,
pick my canvas for me

this time around.

You guys are gonna have to pull
out the swords on each other.

Y'all are up against each other
in the end, you know?

[dramatic music]

[Joseph] This is right up
my lane, bro.

- [Nikko] Yeah?
- I do

black and gray realism at home,
so I'm just chillin'.

This tattoo really represents
my journey in this competition.

I'm sort of like

the Puerto Rican samurai
right now.

Utilizing your second chance,
huh?

Of course, of course,
to the maximum.

I really wanna play it safe

and make a good, clean,
solid tattoo.

I know I can nail this.

[rock music]

That's a bigg'un, huh?

Yeah, but she wanted it
on her shoulder,

and I wanted to make sure that
it fit her shoulder properly.

It's always a risk taking
a big idea and going for it.

We are hustlin'.

I just am kind of tryin' to give
her what she's asking for,

and hopefully that doesn't bite
me in the ass.

- [Ryan] That's the wrong hand.
- [DJ] That's the wrong hand.

[Ryan] That's the wrong
fucking hand.

It looks like someone else
reaching around.

[DJ] That's an easy thing
to figure out.

You might as well have put
a foot there, dude.

[dramatic music]

Still with me?

[Man] Oh yeah, I've had worse.

You have two hours.

[dramatic music]

My tattoo is literally
a reflection of

all the work that I do.

It's loose, it's sketchy,
it's dynamic in linework.

I don't think we've seen

something quite like this
from you yet.

[Jorell] A little more my style,

a little more in the vein of
what I love to do.

What's goin' on in the bottom
with all the cracks and stuff?

It's gonna break apart here,
yeah.

[DJ] So, like, watercolor out?

Watercolor out.

The way that I was raised was
strict.

We weren't allowed to watch TV.

My younger brother and I would
turn to just creating.

My parents were both like,

"How do you get so much motion
in your drawings?"

So, all my tattoos I always felt
like had to have

some kind of motion.

Let me show you somethin' that
I'm really comfortable with.

- [Ryan] Cool.
- [DJ] Awesome.

Oh dang, you've got a battle
right there on the snake?

Yeah.

That's cool.

Yeah, Lucy's killin' it.

[tense music]

[Trevor] You feelin' okay?

I was gettin' shaky
and cold, I was cold.

My canvas is not sittin'
that well.

If she can't take
the black and gray

and she's already strugglin'
with it,

I know that color's gonna be
a lot more painful.

I'm honestly thinkin'...

Color does, is gonna hurt
a little bit more.

- Yeah.
- So, I think we should pivot,

and probably just do some black
and gray.

- You know what I'm saying?
- 100%.

Perfect.

Boom, we just move over to
black and gray.

Alright, everybody.
There is one hour left.

[Stephanie] You're bouncin' all
over.

[Woman] Sorry.

[Stephanie] We're in
the home stretch.

[tense music]

[pained groaning]

[dramatic music]

Anthony, you gonna fix
that spot there?

[Anthony] What,
you should probably put

your glasses back on.

[dramatic music]

Five, four, three, two, one.

That's it, time's up.
No more ink.

We are done.

Looks like tattoo of the day
to me, right?

[laughter]

Dude, I almost just threw
my tattoo machine away.

My fuckin' brain's so fried,
my brain's so fried right now.

Alright, we're done.

[Man] That is freakin' awesome.

Sweet!

- [Jorell] You gonna keep it?
- I'll keep it, I'll keep it.

Holy shit.
Yeah, that's sweet.

Very happy.
Very, very happy.

Worked up until the last second.
Literally the last second.

[James] Good enough?

Enough, I guess.

[Trevor] What's up, fellas?

Did you do yellow,
or black and gray?

Nope, just black and gray.

I was like, "Color's probably
gonna hurt pretty bad."

She's like, "Yeah,
black and gray's cool."

We'll see, dude.
We'll see.

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music]

Today, you had to show
composition with

Japanese samurai tattoos.

Let's see how you did.

Trevor, you're up first.

[dramatic music]

[Joel] The tattoo overall is
really pretty,

clean, cool, it's different.

But the hand's goin'
the wrong way.

I think the hand is a mistake.

I saw the hand kind of pulling
the sword out this way.

That's a straight-up mistake.

[Ryan] There's a left hand on
the right-hand side of the body.

It is a shame,

because everything else about
the tattoo is pretty successful.

[Nikko] I mean, it has
great contrast.

There's smooth blends in there,
nice dark darks,

especially around the eyes,
really beautiful.

[Joel] The hair's pretty,

the flowers in her hair
are dope.

The hair's very powerful.

I really wish you didn't miss
that hand, man.

[dramatic music]

James.

This illustration is sick, bro.

Even though it's a drawing
and a character,

I feel like he's a person
inside.

He's smirking like he's
just gonna

chop your fuckin'
head off, dude.

The composition is
super dynamic.

There's really a lot of
movement.

The way it's going forward,

and then the samurai sword

and the blood gettin' thrown
backwards,

and then it pulling your eye
back in

through the back of the samurai.

[Joel] His face is very much
you,

and it's like a very confident,
"I'm fuckin' killin' this."

[tense music]

Jade.

[tense music]

In terms of composition,
you got a lot right.

The angle, the position,
how it was cut off.

But you should've brought
solid black

up behind the sword,

because when your background and
your main element

is all the same sort of
washy gray,

nothing holds any weight.

It has to have something
behind it

to really pop it up off of
the skin.

[dramatic music]

Pony.

[Man] Good luck.

Composition's pretty good.

You have those negative
maple leaves

that turn into positive
maple leaves,

and those wind flow lines
I think are great.

The sword cutting down
the center is pretty cool.

[Nikko] You also nailed
those hands, dude,

and those are small hands, bro.

That's hard.

[Ryan] Look at the bangles.
They're so fucking good!

But all the most
impressive parts

about this tattoo

are in the background,
or the afterthought.

Bring that detail to the front.

Put your most impressive skill
right main front.

Lucy.

[tense music]

I like the overall composition.

The way the waves come down over
the knee,

the way they're splashing down
away from the snake.

The way the snake breaks off,
it's like a cheese grater.

Just the scales kinda break off,
it gets a little confusing.

That's the only part
that bothers me.

Look, I love the snake head.

I love the eye on the snake,
it's so great.

I think it's badass.

Thank you.

Stephanie.

[tense music]

I love the cherry blossoms.

They flow beautifully,

it looks like they're actually
blowing

and breaking off of the tree.

[DJ] But it's just the overall
pose of the samurai.

He's a bit stiff,

like he's got too heavy
a winter coat on.

He can't move his arms.

[tense music]

Joseph.

[tense music]

The gray shading is
really nice in this.

You have control in the top,

I actually really like the way
the bull horns are.

They're a little light.

[Ryan] I actually really love
how you brought color in

in a totally different style.

But I think you overthought it.

With the green and the bell
and the red,

it's three elements and
three colors,

and none of them
are related at all.

If you're gonna bring in
a totally different style,

it has to have some intention.

Jorell.

[tense music]

I love this beautiful horse.

I love this face, I love how
it comes down into

the muscle structure.

But the horse needed
the two powerful front legs,

so it didn't just look like
a puff of smoke.

Everything else, it feels like
just runs together.

It's hard to really read
that that's a leg.

It sorta looks like a leg,
it kinda looks like a boot.

And that hand that's holding
the reins,

fingers get confusing.

One finger just wraps
all the way around into itself.

It's a lot to look at
and try to figure out.

[dramatic music]

Anthony.

I like the overall composition
of your tattoo.

The way you illustrated
the nose,

it's got great shape,
and it has the motion.

But as you go up and it meets up
right with the opposite eye,

it get a little confusing.

A lotta lines in this art
all over the place.

When we get into those thins,

everything has a little bit
of a shake to it.

If you focus more on
cleaner lines in your piece,

it would take it to
the next level.

Cat.

[tense music]

I am in awe of the control that
you have over grays,

and of the understanding that
you have of separating elements.

You have every shade of gray
in your pieces,

and they're separated so
beautifully,

but you never sacrifice detail
or interest or creativity.

Your tattoos are very
impressive.

[tense music]

Judges, it's time to determine

who had the best tattoo of
the day.

Cat created a great tattoo.

[Ryan] I agree.

[Nikko] Got a lot of darks and
lights.

You definitely hit composition.

James, I feel like he just
nailed

every little piece of
that tattoo.

The detail in there,
the composition,

the pose, the face.

There's a lot of experience
there.

My vote is for James.

My vote is for James.

My vote is for James.

The judges have decided
the best tattoo of the day

goes to James.

Thank you.

I can't even be mad.
I, I agree.

Like...

[rock music]

That means this week,

the OGs will form
the jury of peers.

You must deliberate as a team

and put one artist up for
elimination.

Head out, and we'll call you
back

when a decision has been made.

[dramatic music]

That was a pretty crazy critique
all around.

I mean, I definitely know that

I'm probably gonna be in
the bottom.

But I mean, there's one
big mistake

versus Jorell had, like, a ton
of small mistakes.

I wouldn't fuckin' put
a hand backwards.

Never have in my career.

It's still
a good-looking tattoo,

even with the hand fucked up.

There was a lot of things that
were just technically done

super fucking good.

The only thing that they liked
was the head of your horse.

The horse head was hand-drawn,
and it's sexy AF, right?

If they can figure out what it
is.

[Joseph] It's very cramped.

Like, all you see is just
flashes of color

with no actual purpose in them.

What do you mean,
there's no purpose?

It's all purposeful.

There was a very
dedicated palette.

I'll lean into my style all day.
That's all I do.

Maybe it should've been done
a little better, then.

Yeah, I mean, it wasn't
backwards, so...

There's that.

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music]

So, we're here once again as
the jury of peers

to decide which artist we're
gonna put up for elimination.

First things first,
backwards hand.

[James] Trevor's tattoo.

[Jorell] Trevor's composition
would be hand.

It's hard to overlook.

[Anthony] And if you fuck up
that,

then how do you progress through
the tattoo?

[James] Who's next?

Joseph.

That bell is crazy to me.

[Stephanie] I mean, it's not
fully circular.

Now looking at these lines,
like, it is very inconsistent.

The back flap, you see, like,
a thick line that's dark.

And it goes thin and faint,

and then it's all inconsistent
as it's goin' up.

All the bells but no whistle.

We gotta talk about one more
though, right?

[dramatic music]

We definitely need to bring
mine up.

I'm proud of this tattoo.

I really had to dial back from
the horse

because it was
samurai challenge,

and I was trying to stick to
that.

But you can't tell me that horse
doesn't look sexy.

If you just blew it up,
readable.

You would've got through
the day a lot better.

[Pony] I think this thing's
cool.

This goes back to Trevor's
tattoo.

That hand, to fix that and
cover that up

would be impossible.

If there's a problem
with the legs,

I can fix that.

Who made the bigger mistake?

If it comes down to one piece
of the tattoo,

I'd think it'd be Trevor on that
one.

Fundamentally, this is
the biggest issue.

[dramatic music]

[Trevor] I mean, I know I made
a huge mistake.

It's tough knowing that

I overlooked something so
elementary

when I really pride myself on
making those things right.

It's 'cause you care.
You care about tattooing.

[Trevor] Being tattooers,

it's pretty unique to be able
to, like, help transform people.

Like, how many people have you
tattooed that, you know,

when you first start tattooing
on them,

they're kind of self-conscious.

And then as you tattoo 'em more
and more,

and they become this person,
right?

- [Cat] Yeah.
- It's so cool.

There's something in that
that's amazing

that we get to do as tattooers.

And to come here and just feel
like,

maybe I didn't do
the best that I could...

It's, uh, it's tough to swallow.

Here's the thing.
We can't afford to lose you.

We have a lot going for you.

Like, the judges liked a lot of
your tattoos.

But the point that they didn't
like about mine is pretty big.

[dramatic music]

Today, you were being tested on
composition.

[dramatic music]

James, which artist is
the jury of peers

putting up for elimination?

[tense music]

Trevor.

[dramatic music]

Hey, it makes sense.

I'm not gonna act surprised
here.

[dramatic music]

The judges have decided

the second artist in the bottom
is...

[tense music]

Joseph.

[dramatic music]

The judges have decided

the third artist in the bottom
is...

Jorell.

[Jorell] Surprise, surprise.

[tense music]

[Jorell] What's up, players?

[dramatic music]

Based on your work,

one of you will be packing
your machines.

[dramatic music]

James, why did the jury put
Trevor in the bottom?

A major mistake was the hand.

But even if it was
the right hand,

the sword still would've
been off.

I still think that overall,

it's aesthetically pleasing
to look at.

Even to the point where
at first glance...

[sighing] I mean,
they might not even notice it.

Obviously, that's no excuse for
it.

The hand is one of
the main elements of the tattoo.

For the common person,

maybe it's not
a glaring mistake.

But for us, it is.

[tense music]

Joseph, the challenge was
composition,

and having this red,
blocky shape

with this green top

just really took away from
the composition.

I'm honestly pretty shocked,

but I do understand that
it could've flowed better,

had a been better composition.

Some of the mistakes that you
clearly

don't realize at the moment

really trip you up.

Jorell.

You're in the bottom because

the way you arranged
these elements

lends to, like, a cluttered look

as opposed to a nice,
flowy composition.

I'm stoked about this tattoo.

[Joel] If you saw this on
the streets,

you'd just be overwhelmed
by the color.

There's things in there that
I'm super proud of.

Teams aside, Jorell's was one of
my favorite tattoos

out of the entire group.

His showed a lot of character,
it had composition.

I think Trevor's is super
legible.

Composition's there.

That's the problem, Cat.
It reads well.

That is a backwards hand.
Is that not a sin in tattooing?

My whole career,
I've never done that.

I've never done it
my whole career, either.

Well, you did it today.

There's no coming back from
a backwards hand.

End of story.
What are we debating here?

[tense music]

Judges, it's time to make
a decision.

To me, Joseph's is off
the table,

'cause it's not backwards and
I understand what's going on.

Having a backwards hand,
that's a major mistake.

[DJ It's pretty rough.

And yet, I still like it better.

I don't have a tattoo shop,
I buy tattoos.

I like that tattoo better.

[Nikko] At least with Trevor's,

from ten feet away, you can
understand what's happening.

Jorell's, I mean, dude,
from ten feet away,

you wouldn't understand what's
going on.

And so, my vote is for Jorell to
go home.

My vote is for Jorell to go
home.

I can't unsee
the backwards hand.

My vote is for Trevor.

I understand.

That's two votes for Jorell,
one vote for Trevor.

The only problem that I have
with Trevor's tattoo

is the backwards hand.

But with Jorell's tattoo,

I have a problem with
the cleanliness,

I have a problem with
the composition.

Jorell, my vote is for you
to go home.

[dramatic music]

The judges have decided Jorell,

you do not have what it takes
to be ink master.

[Nikko] You have a lot of style,

and I think that your tattoos
have a lot of style.

I'm really excited to see
your future, man.

Much respect, brother.

Thank you.

Keep putting yourself into
every tattoo that you do,

because I see a lot of
expression in your tattoos,

- and keep it up, bro.
- Yeah, thank you very much.

I hear you, I feel you.
Thank you so much.

This was not fuckin' easy,
by the way.

So, good luck for the rest of
you motherfuckers.

Please pack your machines and
close shop.

[tense music]

[indistinct]

I'm still a one-trick pony.

Love you guys.

I'm not the pony that's still on
the show.

I do what I do.

I worked really hard to develop
my style.

Maybe that's why my feelings
were hurt so much.

You know, I can hang my hat on
the victories that I did have.

To have made it as far as
I have,

I'm proud of that.

But, uh, there's so much more
to build on here.

[dramatic music]

[Male Narrator] On the next
episode of Ink Master.

I'm pissed off.

We have to gun for Trevor.

Today, you must create
a portrait of a service dog.

[Trevor] It's puppy town,
we're goin' to it.

[Cat] I'm just shocked
that you have an Achilles' heel.

I mean, you're an assassin.

We will be together.

This is a double elimination.

[Ryan] No...

The tides have turned.

This shit's wild.

[rock music]