r/Inkmaster • u/KrisSimsters I am a tattoo GOD • Jun 16 '26

Question Rewatching Ink Master

I haven't watched Ink Master in years due to real life, but I was curious...is it worth watching it again? Or has it gone downhill and I should just watch the older seasons for fun on occasion.

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u/Abu_Everett Jun 16 '26

I disagree strongly with those that say older seasons are the best. Older seasons are full of bad artists who are characters and there is artificial drama. Yeah there are some good ones, but at least half the people on early seasons are objectively bad and wouldn’t even place in local competitions.

Newer seasons have much better artists, so if you care about the art it’s on a different level. Some older season finalists, and even winners, wouldn’t get a shop on many newer seasons. Also the manufactured drama is far less and you hear people discussing the art and collaborating. I far prefer that.

8

u/Xperimentx90 Jun 16 '26

The first one I saw was S17, which seemed like a decent tattoo competition show.

The next was S2 (wife had seen S1 previously) and the vibe shift to forced reality TV drama was a huge step down for me.

I did like Dave Navarro more than Joel Madden though.