S09.E08: Masterpiece Mayhem

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

An emotional flash challenge brings the artists to tears, and the alliance becomes a target when a bullet-proof pair of veterans return to battle it out for the title.

[azshadowwalker]

Wondering what "bullet proof" refers to in regards to the returning vets. I don't get the way they are describing these teams at all. 

[Sile]

If I'm remembering correctly, Katie got eliminated on a tattoo she had to do based on a Monet painting, which was naturally a complete buzzsaw.  I wonder if, given the episode title, copying significant works of art will be the challenge here again.

Edited July 31, 2017 by Sile

[sourpickles]

Ahhhhhh, fuck you show, now I'm already crying/sniffling/tearing.  What a wonderful showcase.  I haven't been this teary since the flash challenge, was it, where the Down's Syndrome kids designed the tattoos for the canvases, and everyone won.  Sheesh. 

[sourpickles]

Well now, I'm going to get nailed for this, but I wasn't upset about any of those, really.  I mean, art is hard to tattoo and I thought overall, good show from everyone.  Now me, I'd have a nice Paul Klee...somewhere...that's my favorite artist.

[2727]

That flash challenge was an emotional bruiser. To the judges' credit, they always praise the tattoos on these types of challenges. The work was all pretty good this time, but the judges went out of their way to be kind since the kids were present.

Have we ever seen the judges all disagree on the worst tattoo before? I thought it was the Klimpt, although I would have put Basilica/Christian's Degas in the bottom instead of the Goya. The donkey could easily be reworked later to make it darker, but the dancers were really mushy looking.

I'm not saying Nunez shouldn't wear a pastel pink knit top, but the glass grandma necklace really took it over the top. Way to represent for every retirement community in Florida.

The Sistine Chapel tattoo was arms and hands, which again makes me question the constant complaint that hands are so hard to tattoo.

Tommy next week!!

[niklj]

I like the team theme but it causes me to not remember any of the individual contestants' names.

The Van Gogh was definitely heads and shoulders above others.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I have mixed feelings about the flash challenge because whenever they do the requisite tear jerker challenge, it does force the contestants to quit being selfish assholes for a few hours which is always a good thing. On the other hand I dislike that the judges basically give everyone a pass because they don't want to say anything negative that's related to the kids. There were definitely some issues that I saw (outlines/shapes that weren't perfectly round/smooth on more than one) but the judges told everyone that they got a gold star.

I liked the masterpiece challenge but I have to admit that I expected a lot more teams to fuck it up. I was pleasantly surprised that there were some strong tattoos. The Van Gogh tattoo was the clear winner to me for several reasons: (1) it actually looked like the original instead of a wonky knock off (2) the colors were almost identical (3) they managed to make it look like brushstrokes. In my opinion, no one else even came close to what they pulled off.

The other two strong tattoos were the Monet by Pinz and Needlez and the Degas by Katie and Matt. Both of these tattoos really captured the colors as well as the feel of the original paintings and the very stylized brushstrokes/techniques.

I don't know why the judges thought the Sistine Chapel one was one of the top tattoos. Did they not notice that one of the hands was jacked up?

I can't remember if the three judges have ever been split in their decision like that before. I found it hilarious that Dave's reaction was to say, "I'm immovable." I was trying to figure out if they were going to play rock, paper, scissors to determine who was eliminated or if they would come up with one of those lame Project Runway mini challenges where they gave them some more time with their failed product to see who could improve it.

I am fine with the Klimt team going home. From a distance, the robes looked okay but when they put the side by side pictures up for comparison, you could see at a glance that they didn't reproduce the different squares and colors exactly. The hands and the faces were also REALLY terrible.

While I agree with what Nunez said about the goat looking like a happy drawing from a children's book instead of creepy like the original, I'd much rather have that tattoo which was more aesthetically pleasing than that terrible Klimt tattoo on me.

5 hours ago, 2727 said:

I'm not saying Nunez shouldn't wear a pastel pink knit top, but the glass grandma necklace really took it over the top. Way to represent for every retirement community in Florida.

Haha, I was mesmerized by the combination of the pink shirt and the long beaded glass necklace. I think one or the other would have been fine, but together? No. Heh, I feel like even the old women at Del Boca Vista would be like, "Chris, you have to choose. You can't wear both at the same time." Say what you will about the Golden Girls, but none of them would have worn that combination!

[Inkmaster0345]

Team ES tattoo was clearly the worst. The happy goat was a little funny looking but in terms of quality it was still by far and away nicer than those jacked faces. Matt and Katie could be a real force in this competition as both made it really far last time and neither has any real weaknesses. 

 

My only fear with this season is that it was intended to be a coronation for either Tommy or Cleen. There's definitely some steep competition in the house but with Cleen and Tommy coming back so late the deck is certainly stacked in their favor. At least last time Cleen was the second artist to return; this time it's no secret that the show would like him to make another deep run. 

 

It's a little difficult to say, but generally speaking, I actually believe that this is one of the most talented groups in recent memory. Once we get to the final 9 there really won't be any cannon fodder left and we'll likely still have 4 finalists left in the mix. 

 PIN UP TATTOOS NEXT WEEK. My prayers have been answered. Way back in season one Tommy struggled a bit with his pin up girl, so we'll see what he's got this time. 

[sourpickles]

I'm excited to see Tommy but bummed Nightmares apparently won't be back, since I also love Jasmine and Gus.  Cleen, I'm just not sure.  He's around an awful lot.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that?  All that stuff with Megan Jean was just embarrassing.  I will agree the talent level is very high right now, I'm just confused as to where all of this is going to end up.  Ah, pinups.  Some of the best, and worst, memories right there, though I guess you could say that about any style.  I will say though, my only complaint (without getting too specific, like the squares in the Klimt) is that most of those tattoos seemed very light to me.  It could just have been the way it came across on TV, but I guess it did show detail, being lighter. 

7 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Say what you will about the Golden Girls, but none of them would have worn that combination!

Amen.  However, as much as they watch them I am appalled that some of them wore what they did, even then.  My 80s Barbie had better clothes.  At least hers were De La Renta designs LOL.

Edited August 2, 2017 by sourpickles
to vs. too vs. two

[azshadowwalker]

Great redemption by Katie.

I was expecting better from Christian, considering his great ballerina last time, but it's probably the style rather than the subject matter that gave them problems. 

I didn't really hate the goat, so I am fine with them staying. Didn't have a strong opinion for or against any of the bottom teams. I expected them to throw it back to the jury for the tie-breaker, tbh. 

I guess the finalists are being brought back based upon overall finishes, and Cleen is getting credit for two finals...despite the second one being highly questionable. But it means an extra week of Tommy, so I am good with it. 

Edited August 2, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[Kathira]

I thought the way they had to choose which parts of the painting to do was an excellent test of their skills as artists. To my mind, having a good enough eye to pick out the key elements and recreate those correctly is an indicator of both artistry and craftsmanship. I think that's one of the things I like about this show. It's like Project Runway and Face Off in that way - the contestants need both skills in the craft and ability as artists. The judges were definitely right to call out both the ones that had the St. Jerome and the milkmaid one for not making good choices.  For the St. Jerome, just the book and skull would have been a cool tattoo, and adding in the hand with the pen would have really elevated it. Of all the elements in that painting, the last one I would have chosen was St. Jerome alone. Likewise, just do the milkmaid or the demon goat thing and drop the rest of the painting. I get that the canvas for the Klimt was kind of fussy, but not doing the faces first was a serious tactical error and deserved to go home.

Overall, I'd say the newbies have definitely held up well in this season. It'll be interesting to see Tommy. I don't think his shop partner has been on the show before, and he isn't one of the people from Tattoo Nightmares.  

[belligerent]

ES said he "actually owns that painting." I'm going to assume he meant a copy of it, but I like the idea of ES, collector of fine arts and stuff. I'm also not sure I agree with Doom's assessment of ES as "loud" when he's probably the lowest key person in that argument.

I'm glad that Black Anchor went home several episodes ago because an episode of Black Anchor, Black Spade, and Black Cobra might have been confusing.

[Sile]

Further proof that the jury of peers means less than nothing.  If there's a three way split, the obvious tie-break would be to go with the jury's choice.  Otherwise, what's the point besides managing to waste 5 minutes or so of time that could be better served showing more of the actual tattooing.

I'd also forgotten how much I liked Katie.  Her talking heads are always entertaining.

Tommy! Be still my heart....  I was resigned to him coming in last, so this is like Christmas coming a week early.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Sile

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Katie got one demerit from me for trotting out the old reality show cliche "we want this more than anyone else here." Until someone invents a machine that is actually capable of measuring how much people want something, just no. And to be honest, I don't care how much someone wants something. All I care about is the end product. If you want it with all your heart but you suck at whatever you're doing, then I don't care how much you want it. If you're ambivalent about wanting whatever it is but you have skills, I don't care if your heart isn't 100% in it. All that matters is what I see at judging.

[Mocking Bird]

As a casino dealer of 25 years, I'm tickled to death that the redundantly named "Black Spade" team was eliminated. ALL the spades in the deck are black.  Always.

[hkit]

I loved Katie on her season, so am glad she is back. Not that it matters; I'm sure the fix is in for Cleen. I know that Tommy is a fan favorite around these parts, but I didn't see his season and don't watch Nightmares. With how often this show brings out Cleen. for this and Redemption, it seems obvious to me they want their boy to win. 

[SuburbanHangSuite]

The Flash challenge was really cool.  I'll admit it---I teared up.  Getting ready to tear up again just thinking about the little boy who's going to lose his sight.  

Black Spade 's canvas was an asshole so I was more than OK with her getting a jacked - up tattoo.  Guess we'll be seeing her on Redemption.  But sorry to see King Ruck leave.  The other guy?  Not so much.

[2727]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Katie got one demerit from me for trotting out the old reality show cliche "we want this more than anyone else here." Until someone invents a machine that is actually capable of measuring how much people want something, just no. 

Agreed, but it is awesome when one of those defiant "I want it" people ends up quitting or otherwise gives up on a challenge.

Contestants do need to be mentally and emotionally tough. Competitive reality shows will beat you down, frequently on purpose.

50 minutes ago, hkit said:

I know that Tommy is a fan favorite around these parts, but I didn't see his season and don't watch Nightmares.

He was a very good artist (and no doubt is better now) but mostly he was the original nice person. First season, so I had no idea how nasty and confrontational the contestants could get, but he was low key in the house and kind to the canvases.

[Rancide]

On 8/2/2017 at 3:35 PM, azshadowwalker said:

I expected them to throw it back to the jury for the tie-breaker, tbh. 

Oh, hell no, that was never going to happen.  Remember a few seasons back when the judges tried to stir up the drama by letting the contestants pick who was up for elimination and the group collectively orchestrated the ouster of the odious St Marq by putting him up against two people the judges couldn't live without?  And remember how apoplectic the judges were about it?  That was the first and last time they ever let anyone other than themselves have any real control over anything.

[CheezyXpressed]

The flash challenge was sweet and I'm glad that everyone did well.

 

I like both guys in Black Spade, since both seemed low key and only argued with each other for the most part, and was kind of rooting for them to do well but it was time for them to go.  I did like their New School tat, but they dropped the ball here by not doing the faces first. Then again, their canvas was giving them a hard time. I wonder why entitled people come on this show for tats knowing that you can either get a really good one or complain during it and end up with something horrible.

[Barlowe]

I can't stand entitled canvases. I get that its good for drama but its absolutely ridiculous to come onto a reality show for a free tattoo that otherwise would've cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars and been spread over numerous sessions and think that an artist is going to crank out a customized high-quality tattoo in under 6 hours. You get what you didn't pay for which is why I also don't watch redemption, specifically the ones where people opt out of getting another free tattoo.

[Inkmaster0345]

On 8/2/2017 at 6:35 PM, azshadowwalker said:

I guess the finalists are being brought back based upon overall finishes, and Cleen is getting credit for two finals...despite the second one being highly questionable. But it means an extra week of Tommy, so I am good with it. 

1

Great catch, I hadn't noticed that at all about the order. 

On 8/3/2017 at 11:11 AM, 2727 said:

He was a very good artist (and no doubt is better now) but mostly he was the original nice person. First season, so I had no idea how nasty and confrontational the contestants could get, but he was low key in the house and kind to the canvases.

1

Tommy is definitely a little hard to predict. Reminds me a James a couple seasons ago, another season 1 frontrunner. Tommy does incredible work on his show but no doubt the conditions are completely different. Even within Ink Master, season 1 was very experimental and some of the rules were different back then. Just because he's great doesn't mean he'll do well. Absolutely one of the all time nice guys in the history of the show though.

On 8/3/2017 at 10:09 AM, hkit said:

I loved Katie on her season, so am glad she is back. Not that it matters; I'm sure the fix is in for Cleen. I know that Tommy is a fan favorite around these parts, but I didn't see his season and don't watch Nightmares. With how often this show brings out Cleen. for this and Redemption, it seems obvious to me they want their boy to win. 

Cleen's tattoo shop is even named "Golden Skull Tattoo". He's practically the show's mascot at this point.