S09.E12: Pit Fall

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

A painful elimination tattoo has the artists in the pits, and a massive twist sends them reeling.

[azshadowwalker]

Not a surprising elimination. I didn't hate Cleen and pal's tattoos, but I would have loved to have seen Black Cobra win. 

I absolutely loved the random skull picks. Less drama, please! 

Edited August 30, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[Kelda Feegle]

Probably the right decision but could have sent out the team who both lost their head to head - Black Cobra should have taken the win tho

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FINALLY! Allegory is not as good as they think they are and that compass was terrible. As everyone pointed out, a huge part of the problem was Eva's decision to draw the compass straight on which made every mistake in the concentric circles REALLY obvious.

I'm not a fan of Ulyss, partly because he gets so passive aggressively pissy with Eva too much and partly because he thinks he's a better tattoo artist than he is, but I had to laugh and agree with him when Dave explained the challenge and Ulyss said, "WHERE DO YOU GET THESE PEOPLE?" I wonder that almost every week.

I was cracking up when Eva said she was going to vote Christian into the bottom. Girl, do you not understand how this works? There are three teams in the bottom. You know you're going to be in the bottom whether it's through the jury of peers or the judges. If you vote in a team that the judges clearly had no issues with, you are just putting your chances of being eliminated at 50/50. It's not rocket science. Hell, it's not even complicated math. It's elementary school fractions. But okay.

[2727]

Not the ribs, they're the worst! Not the ankles! Not the skull! Not the ears! Not the hands! Not the feet! Not the armpits! Not dark skin! Not saggy skin! Not old skin! Not scarred skin! Not stretch marks!

This in addition to all the styles, designs, and colors people don't want to do.

Shut the everloving fuck up, all of youse.

[candall]

That was quite the evil twisty challenge.  Impressive!

 

The Queen of Hearts was a mess.  Not only the crown and the nose, but the eye looked like the cornea was a gold coin lying on top of the eyeball.   Too bad--I'd think that character would be a near-perfect tattoo subject.

 

At this point, Kleen could roll out some Mona Lisa product and I still wouldn't trust the judging panel praise.  Dial it back, men!  You make yourselves look ridiculous, so deep in the bag for one contestant.

 

Whoever opposed Katie just rendered a washed-out version of Katie's.

 

Not to be all provincial and shit, but WTF with the victimized woman--bound, tortured, frightened, bleeding?  That situation is trendy popular enough to have a whole Japanese theme name?  No wonder they didn't translate the term on the show.  Next week, the artists go head to head on the tentacle porn challenge!

Edited August 30, 2017 by candall
Katie.

[psychoticstate]

Well, this just proved that if Eva and Doom were paired together, they would have been toast a while ago.  Ulyss kept Eva in the competition and Erin is keeping Doom in.

I'm glad that Bubba made it through - - I was worried for his team since neither of them got the best tattoo out of their head to heads. 

Also glad that Tommy and Marvin made it through.  At this point, I'm rooting for Bubba/DJ and Tommy/Marvin.  

Switching canvases was pretty sneaky.  I honestly thought one of the canvases was going to tap out, especially since they emphasized how painful the armpit was.

Christian certainly schooled Bubba and DJ - - he walked in with his alliance.  That's exactly how it should be. 

I also liked that Nunez and Peck assigned the canvases based on what the inktestants were good at, NOT screwing over the artist and, by extension, the canvas. 

I really didn't like this shop concept at the beginning but now that the group has thinned out, and I can actually remember some of the names, I'm appreciating it.  I also like to see good work, so there's that.

[thewhiteowl]

Am I correct in thinking that tattooed skin doesn't sweat? So get your pits tattooed and save on deodorant. Really though, that moisture has to go somewhere so they may not like where it ends up, just saying.

Apparently Cleen can suck the chrome off a trailer hitch.  That is the only explanation I have for the biased judging.

[psychoticstate]

I don't have any tattoos so I don't know but for people out there who do - - is an armpit tattoo going to last for long?  I've heard that ink in certain places wears down fairly quickly, or at least quicker than others, and it seems like the natural crease in your armpit, combined with movement, would make those tattoos toast fairly quickly.

Interesting, @thewhiteowl, about tattooed skin not sweating.

[Galloway Cave]

2 hours ago, thewhiteowl said:

Am I correct in thinking that tattooed skin doesn't sweat?

I'm pretty sure mine do! I also grow hair over my tattoos. Age of tattoo, quality of ink and sun exposure have lot to do with how long a tat lasts. Placement over the elbow or knee or knuckle (highly mobile areas) will also cause a tat to wear out quicker. I have one tat that is 35 years old, hidden from the sun and it is just now starting to fade and blur a bit. Another one that has been out in the sun for only 8 years is fading fast.

Once again, Nunez just quietly tosses off Cleen's name like, "Why are you even asking me?" I couldn't even figure out what the hell that thing was.

[CheezyXpressed]

I'm liking the episodes a lot more now that they don't have a flash challenge and they're messing with the teams like this.  It plays off all of the lessons mentioned in previous episodes and multiplies them by 10. I also like that both tattoo artists are showing their skills, because it really shows how hard Erin is carrying Doom.

I'm glad Allegory is gone, but that happiness was overshadowed by my disappointment that Black Cobra didn't win again. The best tattoo should have went with the group that won both challenges. Cleen winning again doesn't make me want to root for him, because it feels like the favouritism is a bit heavy handed when Black Cobra was killing it.

I was a bit worried that they'd end up staying and that the judges would send Old Time Ink home, only because with Allegory gone Erin (and friend) is the last person standing from the original lineup.

[toodywoody]

Kleen stop looking over his shoulder and being an asshole. God I hate him. Sorry but I hated Kleen's tattoo and since Matt and Katie both won the face off, they should have won. Kleen's partner lost to Katie, how could they have won. Fucking bullshit and I dont know if I want to watch the judges and their hard on for Kleen and giving him the win 

His tattoo looks like a fucking pickle. No way should they have won.

Edited August 30, 2017 by toodywoody

[Sile]

The twist was pretty obvious because whenever they have the tattoos broken up into two days is when they pull the old switcheroo.  However, that just wasn't workable for the team concept.  The HtH was completely meaningless, since the Skull was a win/lose team that got TotD over a win/win team.  Not to mention (but I will) but Aaron, on the "winning" team, lost his HtH with Katie, on the losing team.  I like Cleen, but that looked like a garbled up mess. **

Then the the team eliminated from the B3 was a win/lose team, while the two lose/lose teams stayed.  What?

** Nunez' head is so far up Cleen's ass I'm surprised he can even speak at this point.

[MaKaM]

Only thing to hope for is that Aaron sinks the Kleen-ship. But it will take an enormous fuckup for that so it is a slim hope. I didn't like the eliminated team's tattoos but geeze louise, if they just wanted a season of veterans teamed up, why the hell start off with the new artists? Who is gone next week, the final "new" team so the vets can fight it out? The n00bs aren't the only ones with one stronger artist hauling a weaker one around but they seem to be the ones taking the hits for it. Name recognition counts, I guess. Honestly, the only teams that seem "balanced" are Matt and Katie and maybe Bubba and DJ (but at a lower level than Matt and Katie).

Also, the Kleen/Aaron "shop" thing is so totally fake that they shouldn't have even pretended it was even a thing.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

Am I correct in thinking that tattooed skin doesn't sweat? So get your pits tattooed and save on deodorant. Really though, that moisture has to go somewhere so they may not like where it ends up, just saying.

I don't have an armpit one or many others on typically sweaty spots, but the ones on my back ("tramp stamp" and shoulder blade) feel a little sweaty if (a big if) I work out or if I'm driving when it's super-hot out (I hate leather seats, by the way!).

[thewhiteowl]

I knew a guy, many years ago that had a full back piece, a dragon but the back ground was broken up into blocks so the skin could breath and sweat, he said. I saw him put on a T-shirt after playing volleyball and sure enough I could see the pattern of the blocks in sweat on the shirt. I just assumed it was true and everyone knew it. It was why I found pit tattoos kind of confusing. 

[candall]

5 hours ago, toodywoody said:

Kleen stop looking over his shoulder and being an asshole. God I hate him. Sorry but I hated Kleen's tattoo and since Matt and Katie both won the face off, they should have won. Kleen's partner lost to Katie, how could they have won. Fucking bullshit and I dont know if I want to watch the judges and their hard on for Kleen and giving him the win 

His tattoo looks like a fucking pickle. No way should they have won.

Wait a minute. . .  You mean the person I criticized for doing "a washed out version of Katie's" WON?  Because that bullshit Kleen piece put their "shop" over the top?!?!  Oh for fuck's sake.

[Apatee]

I think Cleen is a great artist, but the favoritism he gets from the judges (especially from Nunez) is is annoying and has been apparent for some time. Aaron was substantially outdone by Katie and Cleen's wasn't the best of the day either. Black Cobra got robbed. They should have just invited more vet teams and had that be the season lineup; opposed to having new artist being used as fodder for more famous names. Gripes aside, I thought Marvin did a pretty cool tattoo this week.

[toodywoody]

6 hours ago, candall said:

Wait a minute. . .  You mean the person I criticized for doing "a washed out version of Katie's" WON?  Because that bullshit Kleen piece put their "shop" over the top?!?!  Oh for fuck's sake.

A win/win team should have won. There is no way that Kleen's was better than both winning tattoos and that is was so fuckinh great that it put his team over the top. It looked like a fucking pickle on steroids or some shit. Just a blob of saturation. Was is saturation day? No. I don't understand why they have a hard on for him. He is such an asshole and they always give him his tattoos to do and his Ken doll hair drives me insane. Give him tattoos that he doesn't do in his own shop instead of some jacked up coked up pickle on an armpit for the win.

[AlliePK]

So done with the obvious Cleen bias.  And yes, tattooed skin sweats.  At least mine does.  But tattoos can make your skin sweat less and in different patterns.  It's all in how the tattoo heals and how much the needle may or may not have damaged the sweat glands.  

Edited August 31, 2017 by AlliePK

[belligerent]

everything cleen draws in "his" style looks like a bad copy of an ed roth drawing a teenager drew on his trapper keeper in the 90's.

ulyss reminds me of one of my cousins, right down to the body language, mustache style, and dramatic style of ranting. i like that cousin so that's not a bad thing.

i think it's interesting that erin fell on her sword about failing to find a way to play to doom's strengths. i also think it's interesting that they're trying to give her more talking heads (they're kind of forced to since some of the louder people have left) and that she really doesn't seem comfortable having the camera on her.

i'm on team not!cleennot!christian. you guys already had your shot at a "rivalry," go away.

[psychoticstate]

7 hours ago, toodywoody said:

A win/win team should have won.

The problem with this is that there were apparently no rules on how the judges were going to judge.  Since the inktestants were part of a shop, it doesn't matter that one could get the best tattoo in the head to head if the other did not.  That could still put the shop up for elimination.  Of course, if the rules had been that if both inktestants got the bottom, automatic elimination which would mean that Old Town Ink (Bubba and DJ) would have been sent home.  And they certainly shouldn't have gone home before Allegory, or before Doom.  On the other hand, Matt and Katie both got best in their head to head but what if their tattoos had been merely passable?  Should they have gotten best of the day?  (Not saying they were, just playing devil's advocate.) So there's the weak link in the switcheroo.  

Has Ink Master had the second and/or third runners up come back to compete?  I mean, if you're going to bring vets back, just make it all vets because most of the newbies are cannon fodder.  

Not that they will ever do this but I think it would be interesting if the judges had to judge the tattoos not knowing who inked what.  There's normal human bias and then there's "we want (fill in the blank) to make it to the finale" bias. 

I know Dave commented on Bubba studying and practicing each night; I truly hope that pays off for him.  He seems to be the only one who is, which is kind of refreshing.  Maybe that's why I'm pulling for him and Tommy - - neither seem to have an attitude or act determined to steamroll others. (Yeah, I'm looking at you, Christian and Cleen.) 

Edited August 31, 2017 by psychoticstate

[candall]

I staged a protest and refused to learn names when the count stayed at 16 heads + eight shops, but not the same heads or shops.  It's Ink Master, not midterms.

But if the guy who goes back to the nest and studies every night (Bubba?) is partners with Tommy from Tattoo Nightmares--that's my team.  Katie and . . . Matt! would be acceptable as well.

 

On Game of Thrones, there was a White Walker horse with a head half skeleton, half flesh.  Made me think of Erin (I think) getting slammed.  You were just a little bit ahead of your time, woman.

 

"Coked out armpit pickle" makes me laugh.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

On 8/30/2017 at 9:17 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

'm not a fan of Ulyss, partly because he gets so passive aggressively pissy with Eva too much and partly because he thinks he's a better tattoo artist than he is, but I had to laugh and agree with him when Dave explained the challenge and Ulyss said, "WHERE DO YOU GET THESE PEOPLE?" I wonder that almost every week.

You know that scroll at the bottom of the screen asking, "If you're completely open to being a canvas, email us at..."?   That's where they get them.  The things some people do to get on tv.

[dstann]

14 hours ago, psychoticstate said:

Has Ink Master had the second and/or third runners up come back to compete?  I mean, if you're going to bring vets back, just make it all vets because most of the newbies are cannon fodder.  

 

I think it has backfired on them bringing back all these very strong vets.  Seasons when they have brought back vets, they have always had some strong new talent that has made it to finale and has made the show interesting.  The fact that the last original team includes Doom Kitten, who is possible the weakest tattooer left, means it is highly likely that the finale will only have veteran teams.  And I think that is a shame because I think some of the new teams could have been contenders if they hadn't brought back so many strong veteran teams.  It was a bad season to come in as a new artist.

 

Pretty funny that the bottom 3 were the 3 teams in the cool kid alliance.

[MaKaM]

I hated that one arsehole going on and on about the "cool kids" alliance. Maybe, just maybe, they figure the other people they teamed up with weren't raging arseholes who would stab them in the back at the first opportunity. Maybe being "cool" never entered into their thought process. But you know, damn them for trying to find allies and support each other, gotta tear that down right smart. And damn anyone for trying to make friends instead of being a raging jerkwad of toxicity.

Edited September 2, 2017 by MaKaM

[azshadowwalker]

On 9/2/2017 at 10:11 AM, MaKaM said:

 Maybe, just maybe, they figure the other people they teamed up with weren't raging arseholes who would stab them in the back at the first opportunity. 

They made their alliance long before most people were even there. None of the original teams were especially confrontational, yet they excluded all but the ones who were just like them. They have talked shit about getting rid of "mediocre" artists, while sporting some pretty blatant mediocrity of their own.  (Doom Kitten and Dane being especially mediocre, and Dane as needy of attention as Cleen or Christian has ever been.) I think he pegged them pretty accurately. 

[qtpye]

On Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 0:18 PM, belligerent said:

everything cleen draws in "his" style looks like a bad copy of an ed roth drawing a teenager drew on his trapper keeper in the 90's.

ulyss reminds me of one of my cousins, right down to the body language, mustache style, and dramatic style of ranting. i like that cousin so that's not a bad thing.

i think it's interesting that erin fell on her sword about failing to find a way to play to doom's strengths. i also think it's interesting that they're trying to give her more talking heads (they're kind of forced to since some of the louder people have left) and that she really doesn't seem comfortable having the camera on her.

i'm on team not!cleennot!christian. you guys already had your shot at a "rivalry," go away.

You have totally nailed Cleen's dated design aesthetic.  I hope Ed Roth gets a royalty every time Cleen tatoos in his supposedly "signature style".