S05.E11: Up In Smoke

[phoenix780]

That statement reads like he just smokes pot for recreation, not to calm anxiety.  I wonder if that was a BS attempt to save himself by claiming medical value. 

 

I still think the whole thing is silly.  It'll be interesting to see what happens from here, though, in the sense that the competition is a bit more open (for top 3, anyway).

[thewhiteowl]

The statement from Josh sounds to me like more of his salesman BS. "Yes, I did wrong but I really didn't do anything wrong" to paraphrase.

[AlliePK]

"Even though I am allowed to smoke in Oregon..."  

Well, Josh, your contract is based on the laws in New York and New Jersey.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Even if Josh smoked to be more calm, how does that affect the other artists. When you are at judging panel they look at the quality of your tattoo, not how calm you are.

But if Josh was stressed (like the other artists), he may not have been able to produce the same quality of tattoo as he was able to do calmed by a prohibited substance.

[dialyn]

In California, you can get a prescription for marijuana if you break a nail, so the whole thing is a joke here, but it sounds as if they take it more seriously in New York right now.  It strikes me, however, that if Josh was permitted to use marijuana, then they would have had to offer it (or an equivalent) to all of them in order to even the playing field for better or worse since they are all under stress and most seem to have difficulty managing their stress and anger issues, so it does effect the other contestants and presumably gives Josh an unfair advantage.  Obviously the producers didn't want to put themselves in the position of being drug dispensers (not speculating on what they do in their spare time because I don't know these people) so they were obligated to keep Josh to the letter of his contract, as he admits himself.  Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes all impact other people whether or not the user wants to admit it or not....it is a false argument to suggest Josh was using in a vacuum.

[AlliePK]

This season was also filmed before the legalization of non smokeable medical marijuana in New York.

[Kromm]

This season was also filmed before the legalization of non smokeable medical marijuana in New York.

As I imply upthread it wouldn't have made a difference even if it had been after.  The restrictions on who can use medical marijuana in New York are the tightest in the country.  And as you say, it's non-smokable only.  I believe it was said outright that Josh smoked weed.

Edited November 15, 2014 by Kromm

[DollEyes]

 

Damn it, Josh. I was rooting for you....we were all rooting for you.

 

  I wasn't. He may be a great artist, but as I've seen too many times, he's a shitty human being-way too shitty for me to root for. To quote Stevie Wonder, "Ability may take you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."  As a rule, tattoo artists aren't paragons of virtue by any means, but many of them aren't raging assholes like Josh either. Josh can get as high as he wants on his own time, but not during the competition. Josh's blatant contempt for the rules backfired big-time and it serves him right. The other artists were under as much pressure as Josh if not more, but AFAIK they dealt with it without breaking the rules. Given what's at stake, that Josh would throw it all away for such a stupid reason proves to me why he didn't deserve a second chance this season anymore than Kyle Dunbar did last season.

Edited November 16, 2014 by DollEyes

[OakGoblinFly]

Assuming nothing was manufactured, I have to say I'm right there with Josh in being gobsmacked that anyone gave a crap about his toking.

 

Caring or not caring is not the issue, the issue is the fact that the legally binding contract that Josh signed stated that there was to be no drug use/possession during the duration of his stay on the show - it doesn't make a difference whether or not marijuana is/was/will soon be legal/decriminalized  or that people are becoming more "accepting" (and frankly I think people are less accepting and more driven by the steady revenue stream generated by marijuana regulation)  he was contractually forbidden from possessing/using marijuana.  Josh knowingly and willingly violated the terms of his contract and has paid the consequences.

 

Even if possession/use were legal in New York at the time of filming (which it was not) as long as the contract stated that use/possession of marijuana (or any other drug/substance) is forbidden (and the producers have the right to add that clause to the contestants' contracts), getting caught with banned substances is and should be grounds for immediate disqualification.

Edited November 18, 2014 by OakGoblinFly

[TresGatos]

It still seems pretty bad for a show where one of the judges was popped for DUI on a show where the excessive use of alcohol fuels many a raging plotline and one of the remaining contestants complaining about Josh smoking to relieve anxiety while he his sucking on a ciggie. Just highlights the insanity of marijuana prohibition.

[LoLo]

Sucks that one of the top 2 artist there is gone. Even worse by his own hand. He broke a rule & rules are rules & I get that. I know if I were the other artist, I would not feel good about a win knowing one of the better artist was sent home over smoking. It's a no win situation. If he stayed, they would say him smoking was an advantage. He goes home & they win only because he went home.

[whirlingdervish]

I get rules are rules, and liability must be huge for the show in terms of potentially allowing someone under the influence tattooing people. And yet...so many hissyfits and clutching of the pearls! I'm surprised someone didn't gasp, "Well, I nevah!" and faint dead away. The whiny horror of the contestants over the matter was just so OTT ridiculous, and so transparent. What a bunch of whiny little punks. 

[Hana Chan]

For me, the worst part was losing one of the better competitors over something that had nothing to do with his performance in the competition. Josh didn't get sent home because he fucked up on a tattoo or because he totally lost his marbles on camera or because he had a conflict with a canvas. What he did was off screen, in privacy (at least as much privacy as he could manage in the building that he shared with the other artists). Yes, it was against the rules (since in NY pot is still technically illegal although private smoking is rarely prosecuted), but it wasn't something that was likely to affect Josh's performance any more than had he been in prescription anti-anxiety medication (with I wouldn't quibble him taking and Jason should be taking). And I'm irritated that the other competitors were so looking for him to get the boot for something that had little to do with the competition itself. They just wanted Josh gone no matter how it happened because it would make winning easier for them.

 

And yes, I find it hypocritical that smoking pot was such an issue for the others when we are allowed to see them drinking alcohol on camera and a lot of them are pretty heavy smokers (both of which are also drugs, albeit legal ones). Josh's offence was a lot less an issue for me than Emily's deliberate attempt to sabotage one of her competitors a few weeks ago, yet she didn't get the boot.

[OakGoblinFly]

The contestants weren't upset that Josh was smoking pot - they were upset that Josh was breaking the rules.  Alcohol and tobacco are not forbidden by the contract, marijuana use is.  What Emily did was mean-spirited and awful, but it wasn't against the rules. Even if marijuana use/possession was legal/decriminalized in New York, the producers of the show have the right to include a "no banned substance" clause in their contracts with the contestants.  Josh engaged in behavior that was expressly forbidden in his contract and as such he was disqualified.

 

I think people are confusing the idea that smoking pot "isn't that big of a deal" or "it's legal in some places" with what actually happened - Josh violated the use/possession of banned substances (as identified by the producers) clause of his contract.  Violation of certain clauses of the contract Josh signed were/are grounds for immediate disqualification. Full. Stop.

Edited November 19, 2014 by OakGoblinFly

[Kromm]

The contestants weren't upset that Josh was smoking pot - they were upset that Josh was breaking the rules.  Alcohol and tobacco are not forbidden by the contract, marijuana use is.  What Emily did was mean-spirited and awful, but it wasn't against the rules. Even if marijuana use/possession was legal/decriminalized in New York, the producers of the show have the right to include a "no banned substance" clause in their contracts with the contestants.  Josh engaged in behavior that was expressly forbidden in his contract and as such he was disqualified.

 

I think people are confusing the idea that smoking pot "isn't that big of a deal" or "it's legal in some places" with what actually happened - Josh violated the use/possession of banned substances (as identified by the producers) clause of his contract.  Violation of certain clauses of the contract Josh signed were/are grounds for immediate disqualification. Full. Stop.

Here's the problem with that. Breaking rules is NOT the same thing as "cheating".  And "cheating" is what the foaming at the mouth accusations were from the other assholes.

 

Did Josh deserve to be booted?  Yes. But that doesn't mean as viewers we shouldn't challenge the "cheating" term being tossed around. Pot isn't performance enhancing.  Even the "it allowed him to be calmer than the others" argument doesn't really hold water, because many of them were using alcohol for the same purpose.  Again, I'm not claiming they should be treated the same, because alcohol apparently wasn't banned in the contract they signed, I'm just specifying that we should call a spade a spade, but not allow it to be called a knife.  He went, as he should have, but the others are still pieces of shit for trying to pose it as cheating. Bullshit.  I actually dislike a lot about Josh, but trying to look at this objectively, he was the bigger man in this situation.

[OakGoblinFly]

At this point, I think we're getting lost in the minutia - the contestants were incorrect when they said "cheating" (though I thought I heard a few mention "rules violation") however, they weren't wrong in saying Josh should have been disqualified.  I wonder what the unedited version of judging panel looked like - did Josh just offer up the information or were there questions/comments made and THEN he decided to speak up.

 

As far as the contestants all being poop ---- well, no disagreement there.  Sometimes I wonder why I even watch this show (it's like a horrid accident, you know you shouldn't watch, but you just can't seem to look away).

[Gentian root]

The other contestants were probably just pissed that he didn't share his stash (which I wouldn't expect from any this crew.  Face/Off contestants would definitely party together).  But competition reality show players can get booted for lots of different fine-print violations. 

[CorgiNarnia]

I guarantee he's not the first contestant to smoke pot while competing in Ink Master. The other contestants only complained because Josh was a frontrunner, not because of "rules" being broken. I just found that really bizarre for the others to complain about Josh, you guys are tattoo artists, I think of them as a rebellious category of people, probably the last people I would expect to tattle on fellow contestants or want to do things by the book. The producers probably felt this time they HAD to enforce the rules or the other contestants would gripe, perhaps involve lawyers or police. It would be pretty bad if, say, Emily said on her way out, "I'm calling the cops on Josh" and the police come down and shut down production- there goes the season.

 

And I don't think weed is a competitive advantage at all. I think you need to have a strong focus while tattooing, where IMO weed relaxes you too much for a task like that. Josh's work may have suffered a little.

 

Whoever wins this season should have an asterisk.

[DollEyes]

 

Whoever wins this season should have an asterisk.

 

  I respectfully disagree.  Josh broke the rules of his own free will and he got kicked out for it as simple as that. When all is said and done, it's the final tattoo that should matter. I'm not loving most of the remaining artists, either, but if they do the best tattoo in the finale, they should win. Period-no asterisk.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

The other contestants only complained because Josh was a frontrunner, not because of "rules" being broken.

Part of the reason why he was a frontrunner was that the judges were clearly showing favoritism. The other contestants couldn't count on the winner to be chosen fairly, so if they wanted to do something, it helped ease their decision that Josh was a colossal jerk to everyone else.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

"Even though I am allowed to smoke in Oregon..." 

Well, Josh, your contract is based on the laws in New York and New Jersey.

Even if they were filming in Oregon or California where marijuana is legal with a prescription, if your contract says you can't do something then those are the terms. The rules can state you aren't allowed to have a cell phone or be in contact with your family for the duration of the competition. There is nothing illegal about having a cell phone or talking to your family, but if your contract says that it's forbidden and you sneak in a cell phone or climb out a window to use a pay phone (ha, I don't know why I said that - good luck trying to find a working pay phone in this day and age!), you are still breaking the rules. You might not actually be cheating in the actual competition part of the show, but you are still violating the terms of your contract and that's grounds for being kicked off. As Cleen said (and who ever thought I would agree with Cleen about anything?), if they tell you that you aren't allowed to drink coffee, then you don't have a sip of coffee.

 

I am assuming that the show had to cover their asses from a legal standpoint. In general, any kind of illegal activity when you're on a reality show is a big no-no. And since the show had to rent the space used for filming and wherever the contestants are living, their contract with the building owners probably states that they can't have illegal activities/substances on the property too, so they had to get rid of Josh to protect the show's contracts for the rentals.

 

When I watched this episode, out of nowhere they cut to the contestants saying that Josh got CAUGHT smoking pot, not just that he was smoking pot which makes me wonder how he was caught. Did the producers or the crew see him? Or did Emily tattle on him and they went through his stuff?

 

Josh is an ass (and he broke the rules) but good lord, it is painful to see so many bad tattoos this week go unpunished. I agreed with the judges that the way he handled the flames in the first challenge was great, but the woman in that tattoo was not good. Her arm was weird and I didn't like her face. But compared to Cris completely changing the shark tattoo? That was so infurating. The guy had such a cool idea for his tattoo and then he ended up with just a shark on his arm. Totally lame. His double helix tattoo was not good. How did he think he could just half ass the bottom like that?

[NikSac]

I thought it was really weird how Josh had supposedly been smoking pot/weed the whole time he'd been there but it all of a sudden came up now, and seemingly out of nowhere. Full disclosure I live in California where you can pretty much get a prescription to smoke it if you've ever been stressed out or had a headache (or so I've heard, haven't tried it myself), but still, it sounds like it was pretty clear in the rules.  If that's the case, why didn't it come up the first week he was on the show?  Confusing, in my opinion.  I understood why they eliminated him but I agree with others who've said he's the only one I'd let near me to do a tattoo. It's all of a sudden a problem when they get into the top artists, but it was fine before?  I don't get it. Maybe they finally got it on camera? I wish it was at least explained better.

 

I also wish they would have eliminated one of the bottom artists this week - I think a double elimination would have been fine, especially given the circumstances. in fact I agree Cris should've been eliminated on the flash challenge just for doing such a horrible job on the shark when that guy had a really cool idea that I think other artists could have pulled off. (maybe, maybe not, but I wish the 'canvas' had gotten a better artist who at least tried)