S09.E13: Sell Out

[Diane Mars]

Quote

The artists put the saying, "the customer is always right," to the test when they must sell themselves to their canvases for the chance to tattoo.

 

[MuMuGuy]

Erin must have a strong back from carrying Doom all season long. Did he do any tattooing at all?

[CoyoteBlue]

Aw, I'll miss Tommy, but honestly? His work this season has been meh.

[zxy556575]

Oh, Tommy Tommy Tommy. It doesn't seem like he lets the pressure, stress and nastiness of the show get to him, but he can do so much better than what he showed here. Maybe it was the time constraints or the partner requirements.

I could barely see what the judges were complaining about with Empire's snake scales facing the wrong way.

[hkit]

Old Town lives again. That knife was jacked, and way more obvious to my amateur eye than the scale issues the judges kept pointing out on Empire. I am ready for them to go. Bubba has grown on me quite a bit. But DJ grates. He's obviously talented and I love how he sticks up for Bubba, but he's abrasive as fuck. 

[MuMuGuy]

Tommy did much better when Tattoo Nightmares used to be on the air. His work this season has been subpar and his partner was just there. Old Town's 2nd and 3rd tattoos were the worst of those batches, they were really saved by Empire State's first tattoo being complete booty and the producers obviously setting up the finale for a Cleen v. Christian showdown.

[azshadowwalker]

Heartbroken, but it's not unfair. They did have the weakest. I knew it was coming, too. Tommy got so much air time during the episode. I hoped they were faking me out, but, alas. Dammit. 

 

Fucking Doom can go home any time. He is a mediocre artist who thinks he is much better than he is. Erin does carry them. I was so hoping they would fuck up and be the ones to go tonight. 

Edited September 6, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[niklj]

4 hours ago, MuMuGuy said:

Erin must have a strong back from carrying Doom all season long. Did he do any tattooing at all?

He did the raven girl.

I really enjoy DJ, Bubba I can take or leave. If they get eliminated I wouldn't mind seeing DJ come back as a solo competitor.

I'm really enjoying the flash challenges and main challenges this season. Very creative.

[Kelda Feegle]

Old Town should have gone home IMO - the knike was all kinds of wrong and the snake tail looked like an octopus tentacle.

Hate the Cleen teem and what was with the pom pom on the clown's ass and back of the shoulder?

Tommy has the most engaging smile.

[psychoticstate]

I was spoiled as to Tommy getting eliminated because I was on Instagram before the episode aired and figured out by comments on Tommy's post that he must have been eliminated.  Damn social media.  I do think Tommy is a much better artist than was shown here.

I liked Katie and Matt during their initial season but they are grating on me this season.  Yeah, we get it.  You guys are awesome.   That mermaid face was jacked though. It was an interesting twist, of sorts, to have the canvases choose their artist based on the last tattoo and not knowing who did it.  They should do that more. 

Although Black Cobra wasn't chosen and were automatically sent to the bottom, they had an advantage in that they weren't tattooing as much as the other artists.

I'm not understanding Christian's strategy here.  He wanted to go after Old Town - - why?  Why wouldn't you go after Katie and Matt, instead of throwing them a bone?  If you think Old Town is one of the weaker shops, wouldn't you want to keep them around to face off against them in the finale?  Why wouldn't you eliminate the artists you think are stronger?  

I still like Bubba; I'm glad that DJ pointed out that Bubba did not want the sword the way DJ designed it.  Their work has been fairly solid, all things considered. 

I can't imagine that Doom and Erin will go to the finale, although I expected them to be eliminated this week.  

[Charlesman]

I'll miss Tommy. He just didn't have it this time.

That said, Old Town's snake and dagger was awful. The design was bad and it was all muddy. Poor composition. This season won't have much worth watching without Tommy, I fear.

 

I will say I did enjoy the format of this episode. It was actually good. Three challenges. The "shop" concept actually used for the first time, 13 episodes into the season, in relating to selling yourself. The whole setup was just fun: first, pitch yourself to clients. Then, get judged solely on that work, with the one unpicked team left out in the cold. Brutal, and fun. And, with three challenges with at least 4 teams competing... less time in the episode to focus on annoying bickering backstage! I have no complaints about the structure of the episode.

[CheezyXpressed]

I thought it was funny that Anthony (Cleen's partner) was talking about how only one artist in the other group (Erin I think) is doing everything, when everyone forgets that Anthony is even there to begin with. I don't know how much he does, but as long as he's with Cleen he has a clean win without doing much.

The snake and dagger was horrible, but Tommy/Marvin did have issues with his snake too.

I don't think Doom and Erin will leave anytime soon, only because Erin will hard carry them for the win or at least to the finals. It seems like it would be a weird season if they didn't have one of the newer teams in the finals, especially since Erin is such a great tattoo artist.

[psychoticstate]

Erin is a good artist but she is part of a package deal.  Should Old Town go home before Doom and Erin?  I don't think so.  I don't think Tommy and Marvin should have left before Doom and Erin.  It was unfortunate for Tommy and Marvin, at least, that Doom had one good tattoo and it was during this challenge. 

I feel for Erin because Doom will bring her down, eventually. 

I remember Aaron during his initial season and he seemed to be a fairly good artist, if my memory serves.  Here, he's being completely overshadowed by Cleen so who knows his actual skill set.  And I think the format of the competition doesn't suit everyone - - between the time constraints, the pressure of competing, having to ink something that falls within the challenge on canvases, some of which I believe are intentionally difficult and/or obtuse, etc.  

For the teams left, I definitely think that Erin and Doom are the most mismatched in terms of ability and artistry.  The others - - all of whom are vets - - seem to be better matched. 

If Erin and Doom should make it to the finale, it's solely due to Erin.  But again, since it's a shop concept, there is no way they can win.  (That and the fact that the show clearly wants a Cleen/Christian finale) 

[Honey]

4 hours ago, CheezyXpressed said:

I thought it was funny that Anthony (Cleen's partner) was talking about how only one artist in the other group (Erin I think) is doing everything, when everyone forgets that Anthony is even there to begin with. I don't know how much he does, but as long as he's with Cleen he has a clean win without doing much.

The snake and dagger was horrible, but Tommy/Marvin did have issues with his snake too.

I don't think Doom and Erin will leave anytime soon, only because Erin will hard carry them for the win or at least to the finals. It seems like it would be a weird season if they didn't have one of the newer teams in the finals, especially since Erin is such a great tattoo artist.

 Who is Anthony? Cleen is partnered with Aaron.  I absolutely hated Christian during his season, but I really kind of like him this time. No

Edited September 7, 2017 by Honey

[hkit]

Count me in on people who like Christian this time around. He is really adept at predicting how the challenges will unfold, getting people's heads, etc. Plus I loved his old times boxer tattoo last night. 

[Jal]

I was surprised by Doom's tattoo. They're still alive!

Even if Erin carries them for the most part, they still have every right to keep going in the competition, just like every other team who is still in it. The show has certain rules about who does the drawings, stenciling, tattooing, etc., but if there isn't a strict rule that both people in a team have to tattoo the same amount of people, it's not their problem.  You should play to your strengths.

[CheezyXpressed]

20 hours ago, Honey said:

 Who is Anthony? Cleen is partnered with Aaron.  I absolutely hated Christian during his season, but I really kind of like him this time. No

I knew it was A something and went with Anthony.

[MaKaM]

1 hour ago, CheezyXpressed said:

I knew it was A something and went with Anthony.

Yeah, he is pretty forgettable.

Sorry to see Tommy go but (not being a judge of tattoos myself), the judges have just seemed to hate him or ignore him since he returned. I would think he was a fan favorite and they would have last given him a few tongue baths before sending him packing.

[dstann]

On 9/6/2017 at 4:02 PM, azshadowwalker said:

Fucking Doom can go home any time. He is a mediocre artist who thinks he is much better than he is. Erin does carry them. I was so hoping they would fuck up and be the ones to go tonight. 

Doom hasn't impressed me much during the competition but the surrealistic raven girl could be my favorite tattoo of the season.

On 9/7/2017 at 3:00 AM, psychoticstate said:

I was spoiled as to Tommy getting eliminated because I was on Instagram before the episode aired and figured out by comments on Tommy's post that he must have been eliminated.  Damn social media.  I do think Tommy is a much better artist than was shown here.

Although Black Cobra wasn't chosen and were automatically sent to the bottom, they had an advantage in that they weren't tattooing as much as the other artists.

 

That has happened to me as well so I don't follow it on social media.

I guess the disadvantage was that they couldn't win tattoo of the day and be safe so it was both an advantage and disadvantage.  I wasn't surprised they weren't picked, that siren's face was awful.  And I was surprised the judges liked their cobra, I thought the head looked weird as it went really thin.

 

On 9/7/2017 at 6:14 AM, CheezyXpressed said:

I thought it was funny that Anthony (Cleen's partner) was talking about how only one artist in the other group (Erin I think) is doing everything, when everyone forgets that Anthony is even there to begin with. I don't know how much he does, but as long as he's with Cleen he has a clean win without doing much.

I loved how Aaron picked on Doom and Bubba about being carried, and then go so offended when Tommy pointed out he was getting carried too.

[AlliePK]

I think Tommy was phoning it in.  He got the chance to maybe make some money, realized the fix was in for Cleen, and ran with it.  He just moved studios not that long ago and finally doesn't have a super long waiting list, so I'm sure in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that important to him.  Marvin actually works at Empire State, which is a real shop.  Aaron doesn't actually work with Cleen, as far as I know.

[azshadowwalker]

On 9/8/2017 at 7:38 AM, AlliePK said:

I think Tommy was phoning it in.  He got the chance to maybe make some money, realized the fix was in for Cleen, and ran with it.  He just moved studios not that long ago and finally doesn't have a super long waiting list, so I'm sure in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that important to him.  Marvin actually works at Empire State, which is a real shop.  Aaron doesn't actually work with Cleen, as far as I know.

Yeah, if that tattoo had been turned in by Cleen's team, no way would he and Aaron have gone home. That irritates the fuck out of me, too. So sorry that we didn't get more Tommy, but he got his appearance money without having to spend much time in the competition, so I guess it's all good for him. 

All these mediocre fuckers can shut up about now. Doom and Aaron, especially. They're along for someone else's ride. Pretending otherwise makes them look more ridiculous than they already are. At least Bubba is working his ass off in order to carry his own weight. Those other two dudes are just placeholders who have the nerve to talk shit. 

Edited September 11, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[hkit]

2 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

Yeah, if that tattoo had been turned in by Cleen's team, no way would he and Aaron have gone home. That irritates the fuck out of me, too. 

Agreed. They want to give it to their boy Cleen - fine. But can't they at least try to make it appear like there's a competition? I can't think of any reality show where the judging is this blatantly rigged in one contestant's favor.  

[dstann]

30 minutes ago, hkit said:

Agreed. They want to give it to their boy Cleen - fine. But can't they at least try to make it appear like there's a competition? I can't think of any reality show where the judging is this blatantly rigged in one contestant's favor.  

The favoritism was made pretty obvious when Nunez picked Cleen's clown pin up as tattoo of the day and then it was picked 4th by the canvases.  If black cobra hadn't jacked up the face on their siren, the clown may not have been picked at all.

[MaKaM]

The one thing I like more about Project Runway is that they try or pretend (for most episodes) that the judging is blind, that they don't know who created what. It would be interesting to see how judging on this show would go if Nunez didn't know from the start which was Cleen's. Would he be as in love with everything that guy puts out if he didn't know it was him putting it out? But nope, it is like some of the food show judging--watch the person make the thing, comment about one portion maybe not being right during the making (oh, I think Cook X might be making that fancy dish a little too salty), and then mention that thing again at judging (Cook X, I found your dish very salty (even though none of the other judges mentioned this issue). "I think Team Y isn't packing the color in enough." "Team Y, your colors are too muted and scratchy even though it looks like you might have actually gone over the part I didn't like and it looks better, but I thought it was bad when you were doing it and I am sticking to it."

Edited September 10, 2017 by MaKaM

[Inkmaster0345]

Spoiler

Does anybody here follow Cleen and/or Aaron on social media? They have been blatantly campaigning for support from fans, essentially spoiling the fact that they made the finale. If you look at any of their recent posts they are trying hard to get attention and up their popularity. Honestly, I'm surprised Spike hasn't stepped in and done something with how blatant it is. It's one thing to see the rigged judging on the show and know that they are going to make the finals...but when Aaron posts that he's "about to be $200,000 richer" on Instagram, that's a whole nother level

 

[belligerent]

13 hours ago, Inkmaster0345 said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Does anybody here follow Cleen and/or Aaron on social media? They have been blatantly campaigning for support from fans, essentially spoiling the fact that they made the finale. If you look at any of their recent posts they are trying hard to get attention and up their popularity. Honestly, I'm surprised Spike hasn't stepped in and done something with how blatant it is. It's one thing to see the rigged judging on the show and know that they are going to make the finals...but when Aaron posts that he's "about to be $200,000 richer" on Instagram, that's a whole nother level

 

Spoiler

uhhh that's not very cool. didn't ilan or someone on top chef do that kind of crap way back in the second season? i really hope they don't win. i didn't dislike aaron on his season but maybe that's because i hated just about everybody else and the level of art was at an all time low for the show. that was cleen's first season, too, and the only thing that ever stood out to me about him was how mediocre he was and yet the judges seemed to think he was great for some reason. 

if this is what they feel they have to do to get the guy fieri of tattooing off my screen in future seasons, then just give him money. they don't have to keep bringing him back. let's literally see any other artist than him at this point.

[azshadowwalker]

On 9/8/2017 at 4:01 PM, dstann said:

The favoritism was made pretty obvious when Nunez picked Cleen's clown pin up as tattoo of the day and then it was picked 4th by the canvases.  If black cobra hadn't jacked up the face on their siren, the clown may not have been picked at all.

Well, it could have been picked 4th because of the subject matter. I think they favor him, but I am not sure that's proof of it. 

[holly4755]

therer is something really wrong with the clown's leg, it looks like it should be behind the pole, but it is in front of the pole, so the clown has to be sitting on one side of the skinny rubber chicken which means it should be on the flood having fallen off. 

[Charlesman]

13 hours ago, holly4755 said:

therer is something really wrong with the clown's leg, it looks like it should be behind the pole, but it is in front of the pole, so the clown has to be sitting on one side of the skinny rubber chicken which means it should be on the flood having fallen off. 

I noticed this too. I was wondering why they had the clown riding side-saddle, and why no one mentioned it.

[holly4755]

but it is also how it is b ent, it looks like it should loop around something otherwise it would be straight instead of bent that way.

[AlliePK]

On 9/10/2017 at 2:43 PM, belligerent said:

  Hide contents

the guy fieri of tattooing 

LOVE it!!!

[belligerent]

On 9/11/2017 at 1:21 PM, Charlesman said:

I noticed this too. I was wondering why they had the clown riding side-saddle, and why no one mentioned it.

I assumed it was something the client requested since he wanted it to be like a "victorian portrait" or something, and so they just glossed over it.

[candall]

I don't know if this is only because of my font size or "View" settings, but that's a very unfortunate picture of Katie in the promo clip still shot at the top of the thread.

[azshadowwalker]

13 hours ago, candall said:

I don't know if this is only because of my font size or "View" settings, but that's a very unfortunate picture of Katie in the promo clip still shot at the top of the thread.

It definitely gives a very oral impression on my phone.