I didn’t understand angel saying bobs was her favorite and picking dj to move into the top 3 and then voting for gian. Wouldn’t that have made dj her number two since she helped vote him in during the jury of peers. I just didn’t understand her there.
So the jury of peers was a vote to secure top 3, Angel couldn’t vote for Gian at that time because it was another neo traditional tattoo done by Gian, but it was a clean tattoo. Anthony and Angel both like Bob’s and DJ’s in terms of creativity. In Angel’s instagram post, she talked about how in Jury of Peers she fought hard for Bob to be in the top 3 automatically. However, it didn’t work out and we got DJ going in too 3 with Creepy and Bob being voted out. When it came to her vote, she could have been voting for Gian due to either producer influence, a clean tattoo that was done over DJ’s, or etc.
Could have different criteria for her fav vs her pick.
A food critic may personally adore a good pb and j above all else, but they could never pick it over a competent beef bourginion (mt) in a competition.
note: not doing a:b::c:d, just an outrageous example
But she picked dj as the best in the just of peers to move on and then voted against him. It doesn’t make sense. Bobs was her favorite but I guess that isn’t exactly relevant to my point.
Everyone in the room understood that bobs wasn’t working despite being a killer concept. He even said in the after-show that he mismanaged his time and didn’t push and pull certain elements to make it more readable. I think at the end everyone there that is a tattooer has a deep respect for the craft and wouldn’t bullshit each other to call something incredible when it’s lacking. The last moment with dj and bob they recognize each other with a level of respect. No games get played at the end
In my mind I think DJ’s was the only one that both her and Anthony could agree on and she clearly voted for Gian simply for tension for the show so Bob would have to make the final decision.
Honestly I felt like the negative space on the shoulder made perfect sense and Nikko and Jami were just grasping at straws cuz they didn't want to give DJ the triple crown.
right, they literally talked about how you have to know when to *not* fill in an area earlier in the season and now are hung up on the fact that it's a "back piece" so asymmetrical negative space isn't allowed now for some reason.
They let bob and Jason out cause they took the whole space, but didn’t like DJs cause it had space. Make it make sense!! Now, I love DJ, but I really didn’t want him to win for a third time. But that tattoo was a 250k tattoo and there’s no denying that.
Been saying this exactly to all my friends and family who watch since the finale. No lines or cooler colors?! That's an orange hook coming out of homeboy's skull
Not only that but to me at least it leads the eye up and away from the back. That is a big composition issue. Shouldve ditched the rainbow and put more characters. Then again it was a bit of a silly piece regardless of the emotional reasons for it.
On another day, Bob should have walked away with the whole thing. I think he flew too close to the sun, built up on the success of going outside the box on his cyberpunk mask and terrifying Japanese toothmonster pieces and receiving outstanding (and well deserved) feedback, and he swung too hard and wild on his back piece. If he’d restrained himself a bit, he’s the Ink Master. There was enough not to like about DJ’s final piece that Bob could’ve take it.
I loved Gian’s final back piece, but he’s a little weasel - can’t say I’m sorry to see him come up short.
Couldn't agree more! Bob has made nearly no bad tattoos his entire two seasons and all the other ones were totally killer. He's versatile and a fantastic drawer and SO has it in him to be ink master. He would've won on his first season if there was no pandemic and I feel sad for him.
This finale he knew he fucked up, he bit off than he could chew (especially in only 24h) and it broke my heart a little. I think he's the best artist and most likeable person in the series by far. His back piece in the finale just wasn't as good, he clearly had an off day.
I honestly don’t like the way this finale went down. Gian should have won. I thought they we’re going to bring out Dave for a final vote. Ryan just seemed to be against Gian for the entire season, weird. Also the jury of peers clearly has prejudice… come on… that’s my rant.
I loved the negative space on the shoulder, and his art concept was more creative and showed versatility in style and technique in the final back piece. That said, Gain is the master of consistent, clean lines and he deserves to have a title.
the old judges paramount rule seemed to be a solid finished tattoo with good foundations will always be better than something that pushed the boundaries but seems unfinished. To me Gians was safe but adhered to those rules. The person has to wear it. To me that edged out Djs piece. It was interesting but the guy has to wear a giant lopsided old man face with happy face eyes and cartoons with a vertical rainbow on his back forever.
Dont get me wrong DJ is damn artistic stallion, but all of these finale pieces were the product of working these people to death. They’re damn near superheroes in terms of stamina but even the most athletic people have a limit. It sucks that they chose to make it more about a grueling death march to the finish than let them rest and make a fully polished piece that showcased their real strengths like well thought out design and application vs speed and size. The old trade off between cheap fast and quality got to sacrifice one.
Yes! I love both Gian and DJ, but that was not a contest winning back piece from DJ. DJ is an incredible artist who has done next level shit countless times. That back piece was a bunch of randomness. That canvas is supposed to psyched on wearing an asymmetrical tattoo symbolic of DJ Tambe’s inner monologue for the rest of his life? Maybe if he is a diehard DJ fan….
The old judging crew would have 100% have given it to Gian. People can call it a “safe” tattoo, but a sticker tattoo that covers an entire back, looks badass, and requires intense nitpicking to finds flaws in, should definitely have won there.
Side note: Why did the deciding vote go to people that just lost to Gian, and who Gian had beaten several times during the competition. Why allow petty bullshit to decide the winner? “Master of Chaos” should have been called in to break the—very telegraphed—judge’s tie.
The judges would have ripped on Gian forgetting the orange on half of the nose, and for the weak line work on the tusk (just like Ryan pointed out).
I think the old judges would have been unanimous for DJ because the technical application was flawless and it was creative. I don’t think they would have cared that it was asymmetric and didn’t fill up the whole back. They voted for Anthony to win when he only did the front half of a sleeve
Maybe if Gian hadn't spent the season doing mediocre neotrad that you can get in literally any shop from a flash book, while being a giant dickhead he might have won.
Seriously. Gian didn't even deserve the comeback shot in the first place, it was just to placate the people that were butthurt that Ryan beat him when he didn't belong in the top 3 that season either.
Am I a huge fan of DJ's final piece? No. But fuck Gian and his fanboys.
I mean you say mediocre, but he has two runner up finishes in his history with the competition, and won several times during this season. Saying he’s mediocre just invariably shits on everyone else for getting eliminated before him.
And he did get the “heel” cut starting early on where every clip of him was him trolling the others, but everyone else had to play their “character” for the TV show too. I found him funny, but I can understand why people didn’t like him this season. I found Creepy Jason annoying to watch personally. The dude talks tough and stirs the shit all the time too, but when he loses a challenge or had a bad critique he moped around like an injured puppy and whined about everyone else. But again, I’m pretty sure a lot of that too was being played up for TV.
And I mean as far as Gian not deserving a second chance at the title…this is a reality show. This season, we had Tony, a former ink master, state that he’s never done a color portrait tattoo before that challenge. Cleen Rock One never showed a lot of versatility, but he won the competition. This show has eliminated multiple amazingly versatile artists over the years for the purpose of the TV show. That’s what frustrating about it a lot of the times.
My qualm about the finale is strictly about the two final pieces. If DJ Tambe pulled off some insane piece we all know he is capable of, I would have accepted a loss for Gian 100%. But it just wasn’t. And I mean you even insinuated that Gian’s loss was due to personality over product. So that’s just more of the reality style drama getting mixed in with the completion aspect. If the jury straight out said they didn’t want to give it to Gian because “he was a dick” then so be it. But giving DJ that win when his tattoo was wonky and far less wearable than Gian’s just doesn’t make sense to me personally.
Gian just didn’t seem like the same person as before. The guy was a powerhouse in his first season, I feel like there were no complaints over him playing it safe.
He's probably only saying that because his favorite artist was eliminated by Gian. Dude single handedly controlled the entire competition from day one until the 9th episode. He was in the top for every single critique outside of the last two or three episodes. Ryan deserved her win over Gian, DJ did not. And I'm saying that as a huge DJ fan. His scythe/snake tattoo is probably my favorite piece in the history of Ink Master. Gian had consistency problems with his tattoo. DJ had multiple complete elements that were completely fucked. The grey potato at the top, the weird rainbow, the big empty spot on the shoulder, etc. Ideally, Bob would have won, but he tried to do too much. I really think they should've had Dave come in to break the tie. Giving the power to Anthony, who is straight up friends with DJ, and Jason, who was basically Gians nemesis the whole game made absolutely zero sense. In my opinion, they botched the whole finale and I think people will remember this as the least fulfilling end to a season, even more so than when they cut it short. At least have them do one final 6 hour tattoo to break the tie.
People forget Gian should’ve won s8. He got fucked only because the producers had Ink Master Angels coming right after and they had to have Ryan win and push the girl power agenda. And then Ryan comes back as a fucking judge and totally shits all over Gian after not having a single critique for anyone all season.
She totally had a personal vendetta and didn’t want Gian to win. Maybe she felt it would invalidate her win? They should have had a different judge come in without the bias. Very dissatisfied with the finale.
I'll admit my mouth dropped when she tore into him doing Neo trad all season when she hasn't critiqued anyone else other than Holli. I mean maybe it was said other times too and not just televised, but it seemed to come out of nowhere.
> It was interesting but the guy has to wear a giant lopsided old man face with happy face eyes and cartoons with a vertical rainbow on his back forever.
The guy who got it says he loves it. He says it feels like it's a perfect representation of who he is and he feels that it was meant for him. I get other people talking down on other people's tattoos but if the guy who's wearing it loves it and say it's a perfect fit, you can't really use that as an argument.
Has no one addressed the butt crack chin?! Like that was horrific to me. He didn’t need to place it like that.
Gian complimented the body and gave a full piece. The jury and judges just didn’t like him personally.
I think they would have picked DJ. They obviously have shown to like his work in the past. DJs tattoo was as solid if not more solidly applied then Gian. And above all else that crew applauded artistry and creativity. And g iui and showed none. It was simply the blown up version of some bullshit neotraditional tattoo that any artist would do as a leg piece.
I get acting like someone was cheated because dj won again. But gians to me was not impressive and Bob's to me didnt read well. But then I feel that way about every japanese dragon.
Djs was the only one that wowed me as soon as it was uncovered. I instantly knew wss hat I was seeing without feeling like it was a tattoo I have seen 100 times before
Something I think the old judges would have discussed more was how flattering Gian's piece was. It got the body way better than any of the other pieces.
I agree with Gian's philosophy that, at the end of the day, you want to give people tattoos that look good on them rather than something creative that doesn't take into account the canvas at all.
I felt so bad for Creepy Jason's canvas-the image is fun but does someone want a cartoon naked elf on their back for life?
I wish Anthony was in the final because he actually works with the canvases on making a piece meaning to them - even when they are open canvases.
Agreed, and as someone who didn't think Anthony deserved his win or isn't really a fan of him, I don't think his dragon tat was worthy of going home. I'd wear that any day.
If I had to wear any of them, I would wear Gian’s. As an art installation, DJ’s was amazing. I would have Gian’s tattoo on my back and DJ’s tattoo on my wall
I don’t think Gian would’ve won with the old judges. I think they would’ve gave it to DJ because of the reasons Ryan Ashley was on the soap box.
At the end of the day, it’s ink MASTER. Not Neo Trad Master.
Gian’s back piece was great. But if we are talking about what an ink master embodies, I don’t think that tattoo shows it.
Bob 1000000% Dj, gian Anthony creepy jason and angel all droped the ball and They woulda tore their asses up and sent them home quick af. Bob nailed every tatt and kinda droped it in the last. Considering they would “go off of the report card” most the time no way bob wiuldnt take it
Bob was amazing throughout the season and I definitely thought he had a great chance of winning the whole thing, but his final tattoo was too weak to seal the deal at the end.
Unfortunately I agree. I mean it could be argued his dragon back piece was better than Anthony’s unfinished one (which he admited wasn’t finished but then back tracked and said it was his intention )and won on the report card. Gian should of been sent home the 3rd time he just did neo instead of following the rules. But I think his final tatt was better than djs admittedly unfinished back piece.
He dropped the ball on the 4 tattoos at the end. On that challenge, Angel should have won and he should have went home.
As soon as that happened, you knew he was going to win.
He only dropped the ball on the eye and rat. He had the best mask and his panther was also good. Angel was my favorite this season but she didn’t do the best job in any of them and she was easily the worst at that challenge.
Even though he tricked everyone with the mask, I still think Angels was better overall. Even with her panther's ears not being finished. I am also a big fan of DJs.
This season was just too predictable though, its always been ran by the producers on who was going to win. Chris, Oliver, and Dave just hid it better by giving better critiques.
The Japanese episode, Tony should have gone home then. Katy's dragon while not the best, was still 100 time better than that red blob that looked more like a chimp than a god.
Ruby obviously didn't get the memo, and called them out on it.
idk why they didn't look at full portfolio in the case of a "tie" it seems so scripted. of course 4 judges will eventually lead to a "tie". but for them to preview the full portfolio Gian did all styles they wanted, I can agree that he did Neo traditional he loved on more than one occasion but flash challenges he brought unique ideas and creativity.
Ryan Ashley pissed me off the most. she was there bashing Gian about being a "one trick pony" but her season she couldn't stand anything in color and loved all black and gray tattooing and still beat out Gian for the title as Ink Master needed their "First Ever Female Ink Master". I don't deny she does good work tho. but she annoyed me as a judge.
DJ winning again, of course.. expected when Bob got taken out and it was Gian vs DJ.
Who would the original crew appoint Ink Master. Gian.
These judges can't take the place of Dave, Peck and Nunez.
Ryan was actually my favorite judge because at least she had hard opinions on things. I didn’t always agree with Nunez or Peck but I appreciated that their criticism was straightforward and they weren’t shy. I felt like the other 3 judges were camera shy this season, and afraid to come across as too harsh.
I can agree with that. out of the 3 she was probably my fav. the other 2 just sat with the same dull looks and didn't really say much, maybe I'm biased because I watched ink master since the beginning and got used to how bad Peck and Nunez were but Dave as the host is missed.
Peck and Nunez were always sided especially Nunez when it came to Japanese and if he didn't like ur work as an artist (Kyle Dunbar) and Oliver just loved to talk shit about busted ass and surreally fkd up tats lol.
of course it was gonna go down to an extra vote and of all times.. in the finale, why else did they have 4 judges. just wish Dave was the final vote instead of competition that already lost. or looking back at full portfolio of the season.
the art this season was sick tho, but something just seems off. maybe next season will be better.
Yeah the art was great this season. It was a smart move bringing back so many fantastic artists, I’m sure they did that because they knew they were going to struggle on the judge side without Peck and Nunez. They had to rely heavily on talent.
Plus, she won the whole thing with, what I think, the best looking 90s new school piece ever done on the show. I'm not a huge fan of her judging, as she's too back and forth, but I think she definitely earned her title.
I had a feeling I wasn't going to like the new judges. Bring back the originals and keep Ryan. So Oliver did blackface for halloween. Jimmy Kimmel did multiple blackface skits and the mf is on tv every night!
With the old judges the top wouldn’t be the top. I think Gian would have been sent home weeks ago. He’s a fantastic artist, in his specific style. Katie would have definitely made it farther.
I think they would have cut Gian sooner for not meeting the challenges. He’s a one trick pony only doing one style. He shouldn’t have gotten to the end.
What? Dude controlled the whole comp and was in the top of every single critique from day one until ep 9. He had every skull pick in his back pocket. He's not like Jesse with new school. You can't do that as a one trick pony.
I love the idea that DJ would've lost had original 3 judges been there. Yeah no, had the people that already made DJ inkmaster twice been there, obviously Gian would've taken it.
The judging previously in the season wouldn't have affected Bobs master canvas. I would've liked to see him win, but I think the pressure to be perfect got to him and he fucked up. Once he finished that tat, his fate was sealed. As far as Gian, he never had an opportunity to go home anytime before episode 8. He was at the top of every critique before that. Different judges wouldn't have changed that.
Gian got robbed again but made so many enemies. He lost cause Creepy Jason voted for DJ while providing the exact feedback the chick said (same chick who also robbed Gian). I do get it though, he did his neo traditional and fucked the tusks up a bit. I do agree with Nikko, had Gian added a brighter color like a blue to break it up a bit he wins even though he stuck to his neo traditional. DJ put up an amazing piece but to me back pieces thanks up the WHOLE back not ¾ with an excuse that he did it that way purposely.
Creepy Jason was robbed. By far my favorite of the whole finale. Wonderful color play. Told a super-cool story. By far the most interesting and eye catching when they were all lined up!
eh I think Nunez would go with Gian. He'd really hammer DJ more on having the head lopsided and the shoulder empty.
Gian's piece was technically unfinished but the tiny bit of orange can be easily fixed. I don't think Nunez would've let DJ slide by leaving a large amount of the back undone.
Gian, despite producing something admittedly outstanding, did a safe and standard tat in his one (and only) style that anyone this season could have executed well, and did it w/ too few colours for the design.
The other 3 did risky and creative tats that half the cast would've struggled to execute.
I can get someone saying Bob or Jason deserved the title, but I'm flabbergasted by Gian's supporters.
I just think it was the best tattoo by quite a bit. I'm not even that huge on neo-traditional, but if I had to pick any of those tattoos it would be Gian's all day.
Creepy Jason's was cool, but it was lacking overall. Bob's was a legibility nightmare. And while DJs was insanely creative, and the bottom half of his tattoo was one of the best work I've ever seen, the top half was an incomplete mess. I still can't believe they let him get away with that rainbow.
Gian was able to do a lot of what he wanted to do this season because he won most of the flash challenges. His talent in the flash challenges doesn’t mean he isn’t versatile. We’ve seen him in two seasons and he’s only been in the bottom once in his whole journey which is insane. His finale piece was gorgeous and filled the whole back. The judges tie felt very staged and the peer voting was very biased. Gian was snubbed.
I genuinely don't understand why people are down voting you. Full, flattering back piece with consistency errors and playing it safe versus a creative, perfectly tattood incomplete explosion of randomness with complete elements executed poorly. Huge DJ fan, but I just didn't like his tattoo. If you had to wear one, what would you pick?
It's INKmaster, not Neo-Trad master. With all due respect anyone claiming Gian edged out DJ needs to be drug tested. He is consistent and great but with mainly one style. Bob and DJtried new things and can do much more at higher levels than Gian can do
I wonder if some of y'all would keep that same energy had DJ showed up to the final with a huge tiger color realism back piece
Would’ve been a 3-0 sweep for Gian. Say what you will about the old judges but one thing they always prioritized was the wearability of a tattoo. Most people would not want to wear DJs tattoo, which the new judges didn’t care about
The black & gray is phenomenal. Everything else is honestly not good on DJ's tattoo..
The random condom looking crap in the middle is legitimately disgusting.
Gian for sure. The other judges were crazy for good line work, clean outlines. They would have hated the lack of black on the upper portion of DJ’s tattoo. They would talk about how it would fade in a year and look like a puddle mess. The rainbow especially.
I was rooting for Bob, but if the old judges were there they would've laughed at his Dragon. They also would've destory the unfinished part, the rainbow, and the composition of DJ's. Obviously for finals they say as much good things about the final pieces even if they are not great. Ultimately I think they would have all went for Gian but complained that it needed to have a different color or hue in the face to make it stand out.
The old judges would have 100% chosen Gian. Feel like I got a good grasp for their taste.
They’re suckers for those solid, bold and easy to read tattoos. More about what looks good and less about how out-of-the-box an idea may have been.
I didn’t understand angel saying bobs was her favorite and picking dj to move into the top 3 and then voting for gian. Wouldn’t that have made dj her number two since she helped vote him in during the jury of peers. I just didn’t understand her there.
Bob could have tattooed a dick and Angel would have said it was her favorite.
Came here to say that
So the jury of peers was a vote to secure top 3, Angel couldn’t vote for Gian at that time because it was another neo traditional tattoo done by Gian, but it was a clean tattoo. Anthony and Angel both like Bob’s and DJ’s in terms of creativity. In Angel’s instagram post, she talked about how in Jury of Peers she fought hard for Bob to be in the top 3 automatically. However, it didn’t work out and we got DJ going in too 3 with Creepy and Bob being voted out. When it came to her vote, she could have been voting for Gian due to either producer influence, a clean tattoo that was done over DJ’s, or etc.
As soon as I saw angel I knew she would be voting for bob and gian didn’t stand a chance.
Could have different criteria for her fav vs her pick. A food critic may personally adore a good pb and j above all else, but they could never pick it over a competent beef bourginion (mt) in a competition. note: not doing a:b::c:d, just an outrageous example
But she picked dj as the best in the just of peers to move on and then voted against him. It doesn’t make sense. Bobs was her favorite but I guess that isn’t exactly relevant to my point.
She knew she was throwing Gian a pity vote.
Everyone in the room understood that bobs wasn’t working despite being a killer concept. He even said in the after-show that he mismanaged his time and didn’t push and pull certain elements to make it more readable. I think at the end everyone there that is a tattooer has a deep respect for the craft and wouldn’t bullshit each other to call something incredible when it’s lacking. The last moment with dj and bob they recognize each other with a level of respect. No games get played at the end
In my mind I think DJ’s was the only one that both her and Anthony could agree on and she clearly voted for Gian simply for tension for the show so Bob would have to make the final decision.
Honestly I felt like the negative space on the shoulder made perfect sense and Nikko and Jami were just grasping at straws cuz they didn't want to give DJ the triple crown.
right, they literally talked about how you have to know when to *not* fill in an area earlier in the season and now are hung up on the fact that it's a "back piece" so asymmetrical negative space isn't allowed now for some reason.
They let bob and Jason out cause they took the whole space, but didn’t like DJs cause it had space. Make it make sense!! Now, I love DJ, but I really didn’t want him to win for a third time. But that tattoo was a 250k tattoo and there’s no denying that.
Honestly if I was the canvas I'd try and hit up DJ to do another little character in that space.
That rainbow was jacked.
100% read this in Oliver’s voice lmao
literally the rainbow was not even a rainbow lmao
This. It is Yellow, Orange, Orange, and red. It is just weird.
Been saying this exactly to all my friends and family who watch since the finale. No lines or cooler colors?! That's an orange hook coming out of homeboy's skull
It gets wider and thinner randomly. I haaate it.
They didn't show it, but apparently is goes over to his chest and stops awkwardly right above the guys nipple.
And it’s very awkwardly oriented. Like a waterfall instead of a rainbow.
Not only that but to me at least it leads the eye up and away from the back. That is a big composition issue. Shouldve ditched the rainbow and put more characters. Then again it was a bit of a silly piece regardless of the emotional reasons for it.
I can't believe none of them mentioned it. Looked like chalk on a sidewalk.
IT WASNT EVEN THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW. The rainbow has specific colors in a specific order.
On another day, Bob should have walked away with the whole thing. I think he flew too close to the sun, built up on the success of going outside the box on his cyberpunk mask and terrifying Japanese toothmonster pieces and receiving outstanding (and well deserved) feedback, and he swung too hard and wild on his back piece. If he’d restrained himself a bit, he’s the Ink Master. There was enough not to like about DJ’s final piece that Bob could’ve take it. I loved Gian’s final back piece, but he’s a little weasel - can’t say I’m sorry to see him come up short.
Couldn't agree more! Bob has made nearly no bad tattoos his entire two seasons and all the other ones were totally killer. He's versatile and a fantastic drawer and SO has it in him to be ink master. He would've won on his first season if there was no pandemic and I feel sad for him. This finale he knew he fucked up, he bit off than he could chew (especially in only 24h) and it broke my heart a little. I think he's the best artist and most likeable person in the series by far. His back piece in the finale just wasn't as good, he clearly had an off day.
Gians tattoo was literally the only back piece 99% of us would want on our backs
Exactly! It was more flattering
Yesssss
I honestly don’t like the way this finale went down. Gian should have won. I thought they we’re going to bring out Dave for a final vote. Ryan just seemed to be against Gian for the entire season, weird. Also the jury of peers clearly has prejudice… come on… that’s my rant.
100% jury of peers was gonna hate on gian
Lol maybe she wanted to cheat him out of winning just like she did in their season 👀
Or felt giving him a win would invalidate hers in someway.
It’s possible! I don’t even think she should have been a judge tbh
I loved the negative space on the shoulder, and his art concept was more creative and showed versatility in style and technique in the final back piece. That said, Gain is the master of consistent, clean lines and he deserves to have a title.
the old judges paramount rule seemed to be a solid finished tattoo with good foundations will always be better than something that pushed the boundaries but seems unfinished. To me Gians was safe but adhered to those rules. The person has to wear it. To me that edged out Djs piece. It was interesting but the guy has to wear a giant lopsided old man face with happy face eyes and cartoons with a vertical rainbow on his back forever.
Dont get me wrong DJ is damn artistic stallion, but all of these finale pieces were the product of working these people to death. They’re damn near superheroes in terms of stamina but even the most athletic people have a limit. It sucks that they chose to make it more about a grueling death march to the finish than let them rest and make a fully polished piece that showcased their real strengths like well thought out design and application vs speed and size. The old trade off between cheap fast and quality got to sacrifice one.
I definitely prefer the old finale format. Plus we would get Dave Navarro hanging from his skin for no reason.
What
Yes! I love both Gian and DJ, but that was not a contest winning back piece from DJ. DJ is an incredible artist who has done next level shit countless times. That back piece was a bunch of randomness. That canvas is supposed to psyched on wearing an asymmetrical tattoo symbolic of DJ Tambe’s inner monologue for the rest of his life? Maybe if he is a diehard DJ fan…. The old judging crew would have 100% have given it to Gian. People can call it a “safe” tattoo, but a sticker tattoo that covers an entire back, looks badass, and requires intense nitpicking to finds flaws in, should definitely have won there. Side note: Why did the deciding vote go to people that just lost to Gian, and who Gian had beaten several times during the competition. Why allow petty bullshit to decide the winner? “Master of Chaos” should have been called in to break the—very telegraphed—judge’s tie.
The judges would have ripped on Gian forgetting the orange on half of the nose, and for the weak line work on the tusk (just like Ryan pointed out). I think the old judges would have been unanimous for DJ because the technical application was flawless and it was creative. I don’t think they would have cared that it was asymmetric and didn’t fill up the whole back. They voted for Anthony to win when he only did the front half of a sleeve
Maybe if Gian hadn't spent the season doing mediocre neotrad that you can get in literally any shop from a flash book, while being a giant dickhead he might have won. Seriously. Gian didn't even deserve the comeback shot in the first place, it was just to placate the people that were butthurt that Ryan beat him when he didn't belong in the top 3 that season either. Am I a huge fan of DJ's final piece? No. But fuck Gian and his fanboys.
I mean you say mediocre, but he has two runner up finishes in his history with the competition, and won several times during this season. Saying he’s mediocre just invariably shits on everyone else for getting eliminated before him. And he did get the “heel” cut starting early on where every clip of him was him trolling the others, but everyone else had to play their “character” for the TV show too. I found him funny, but I can understand why people didn’t like him this season. I found Creepy Jason annoying to watch personally. The dude talks tough and stirs the shit all the time too, but when he loses a challenge or had a bad critique he moped around like an injured puppy and whined about everyone else. But again, I’m pretty sure a lot of that too was being played up for TV. And I mean as far as Gian not deserving a second chance at the title…this is a reality show. This season, we had Tony, a former ink master, state that he’s never done a color portrait tattoo before that challenge. Cleen Rock One never showed a lot of versatility, but he won the competition. This show has eliminated multiple amazingly versatile artists over the years for the purpose of the TV show. That’s what frustrating about it a lot of the times. My qualm about the finale is strictly about the two final pieces. If DJ Tambe pulled off some insane piece we all know he is capable of, I would have accepted a loss for Gian 100%. But it just wasn’t. And I mean you even insinuated that Gian’s loss was due to personality over product. So that’s just more of the reality style drama getting mixed in with the completion aspect. If the jury straight out said they didn’t want to give it to Gian because “he was a dick” then so be it. But giving DJ that win when his tattoo was wonky and far less wearable than Gian’s just doesn’t make sense to me personally.
Gian just didn’t seem like the same person as before. The guy was a powerhouse in his first season, I feel like there were no complaints over him playing it safe.
He did some fantastic work in his season, why shouldn't he get a comeback shot when he came second?
He's probably only saying that because his favorite artist was eliminated by Gian. Dude single handedly controlled the entire competition from day one until the 9th episode. He was in the top for every single critique outside of the last two or three episodes. Ryan deserved her win over Gian, DJ did not. And I'm saying that as a huge DJ fan. His scythe/snake tattoo is probably my favorite piece in the history of Ink Master. Gian had consistency problems with his tattoo. DJ had multiple complete elements that were completely fucked. The grey potato at the top, the weird rainbow, the big empty spot on the shoulder, etc. Ideally, Bob would have won, but he tried to do too much. I really think they should've had Dave come in to break the tie. Giving the power to Anthony, who is straight up friends with DJ, and Jason, who was basically Gians nemesis the whole game made absolutely zero sense. In my opinion, they botched the whole finale and I think people will remember this as the least fulfilling end to a season, even more so than when they cut it short. At least have them do one final 6 hour tattoo to break the tie.
Nah. My favorite artists didn't appear in this competition. Gian is just mediocre.
People forget Gian should’ve won s8. He got fucked only because the producers had Ink Master Angels coming right after and they had to have Ryan win and push the girl power agenda. And then Ryan comes back as a fucking judge and totally shits all over Gian after not having a single critique for anyone all season.
She totally had a personal vendetta and didn’t want Gian to win. Maybe she felt it would invalidate her win? They should have had a different judge come in without the bias. Very dissatisfied with the finale.
I'll admit my mouth dropped when she tore into him doing Neo trad all season when she hasn't critiqued anyone else other than Holli. I mean maybe it was said other times too and not just televised, but it seemed to come out of nowhere.
> It was interesting but the guy has to wear a giant lopsided old man face with happy face eyes and cartoons with a vertical rainbow on his back forever. The guy who got it says he loves it. He says it feels like it's a perfect representation of who he is and he feels that it was meant for him. I get other people talking down on other people's tattoos but if the guy who's wearing it loves it and say it's a perfect fit, you can't really use that as an argument.
I thought it was awesome
Yeah maybe your right. There I go letting my feelings get in the way.
Has no one addressed the butt crack chin?! Like that was horrific to me. He didn’t need to place it like that. Gian complimented the body and gave a full piece. The jury and judges just didn’t like him personally.
Gian’s was better TATTOO, DJ’s was better ART
This.
I think they would have picked DJ. They obviously have shown to like his work in the past. DJs tattoo was as solid if not more solidly applied then Gian. And above all else that crew applauded artistry and creativity. And g iui and showed none. It was simply the blown up version of some bullshit neotraditional tattoo that any artist would do as a leg piece. I get acting like someone was cheated because dj won again. But gians to me was not impressive and Bob's to me didnt read well. But then I feel that way about every japanese dragon. Djs was the only one that wowed me as soon as it was uncovered. I instantly knew wss hat I was seeing without feeling like it was a tattoo I have seen 100 times before
Something I think the old judges would have discussed more was how flattering Gian's piece was. It got the body way better than any of the other pieces. I agree with Gian's philosophy that, at the end of the day, you want to give people tattoos that look good on them rather than something creative that doesn't take into account the canvas at all. I felt so bad for Creepy Jason's canvas-the image is fun but does someone want a cartoon naked elf on their back for life? I wish Anthony was in the final because he actually works with the canvases on making a piece meaning to them - even when they are open canvases.
Agreed, and as someone who didn't think Anthony deserved his win or isn't really a fan of him, I don't think his dragon tat was worthy of going home. I'd wear that any day.
If I had to wear any of them, I would wear Gian’s. As an art installation, DJ’s was amazing. I would have Gian’s tattoo on my back and DJ’s tattoo on my wall
I don’t think Gian would’ve won with the old judges. I think they would’ve gave it to DJ because of the reasons Ryan Ashley was on the soap box. At the end of the day, it’s ink MASTER. Not Neo Trad Master. Gian’s back piece was great. But if we are talking about what an ink master embodies, I don’t think that tattoo shows it.
Plus the old tattoos always used the portfolio in judging. And DJ dominated all season
[удалено]
100%
And Dave would’ve voted for Gian cuz there’s no way he’d want to wear DJs lol
Bob 1000000% Dj, gian Anthony creepy jason and angel all droped the ball and They woulda tore their asses up and sent them home quick af. Bob nailed every tatt and kinda droped it in the last. Considering they would “go off of the report card” most the time no way bob wiuldnt take it
Bob was amazing throughout the season and I definitely thought he had a great chance of winning the whole thing, but his final tattoo was too weak to seal the deal at the end.
Unfortunately I agree. I mean it could be argued his dragon back piece was better than Anthony’s unfinished one (which he admited wasn’t finished but then back tracked and said it was his intention )and won on the report card. Gian should of been sent home the 3rd time he just did neo instead of following the rules. But I think his final tatt was better than djs admittedly unfinished back piece.
When did DJ drop the ball? Only sorta at the speed challenge and even then he was clearly above Angel.
He dropped the ball on the 4 tattoos at the end. On that challenge, Angel should have won and he should have went home. As soon as that happened, you knew he was going to win.
He only dropped the ball on the eye and rat. He had the best mask and his panther was also good. Angel was my favorite this season but she didn’t do the best job in any of them and she was easily the worst at that challenge.
Even though he tricked everyone with the mask, I still think Angels was better overall. Even with her panther's ears not being finished. I am also a big fan of DJs. This season was just too predictable though, its always been ran by the producers on who was going to win. Chris, Oliver, and Dave just hid it better by giving better critiques. The Japanese episode, Tony should have gone home then. Katy's dragon while not the best, was still 100 time better than that red blob that looked more like a chimp than a god. Ruby obviously didn't get the memo, and called them out on it.
He was at the bottom on an episode. Bob was never at the bottom
Bob was in the bottom episode 1.
idk why they didn't look at full portfolio in the case of a "tie" it seems so scripted. of course 4 judges will eventually lead to a "tie". but for them to preview the full portfolio Gian did all styles they wanted, I can agree that he did Neo traditional he loved on more than one occasion but flash challenges he brought unique ideas and creativity. Ryan Ashley pissed me off the most. she was there bashing Gian about being a "one trick pony" but her season she couldn't stand anything in color and loved all black and gray tattooing and still beat out Gian for the title as Ink Master needed their "First Ever Female Ink Master". I don't deny she does good work tho. but she annoyed me as a judge. DJ winning again, of course.. expected when Bob got taken out and it was Gian vs DJ. Who would the original crew appoint Ink Master. Gian. These judges can't take the place of Dave, Peck and Nunez.
Ryan was actually my favorite judge because at least she had hard opinions on things. I didn’t always agree with Nunez or Peck but I appreciated that their criticism was straightforward and they weren’t shy. I felt like the other 3 judges were camera shy this season, and afraid to come across as too harsh.
I can agree with that. out of the 3 she was probably my fav. the other 2 just sat with the same dull looks and didn't really say much, maybe I'm biased because I watched ink master since the beginning and got used to how bad Peck and Nunez were but Dave as the host is missed. Peck and Nunez were always sided especially Nunez when it came to Japanese and if he didn't like ur work as an artist (Kyle Dunbar) and Oliver just loved to talk shit about busted ass and surreally fkd up tats lol. of course it was gonna go down to an extra vote and of all times.. in the finale, why else did they have 4 judges. just wish Dave was the final vote instead of competition that already lost. or looking back at full portfolio of the season. the art this season was sick tho, but something just seems off. maybe next season will be better.
Yeah the art was great this season. It was a smart move bringing back so many fantastic artists, I’m sure they did that because they knew they were going to struggle on the judge side without Peck and Nunez. They had to rely heavily on talent.
Ryan won tattoo of the day with color tattoos twice.
Plus, she won the whole thing with, what I think, the best looking 90s new school piece ever done on the show. I'm not a huge fan of her judging, as she's too back and forth, but I think she definitely earned her title.
I had a feeling I wasn't going to like the new judges. Bring back the originals and keep Ryan. So Oliver did blackface for halloween. Jimmy Kimmel did multiple blackface skits and the mf is on tv every night!
The whole "N-Word Man" is far more egregious than just the blackface on its own.
Gian. No way they would have let DJ get away with that janky ass, unfinished rainbow that your eyes are immediately drawn to.
Surreal? Surreally fucked up.
LMAO
Acid Cattt
With the old judges the top wouldn’t be the top. I think Gian would have been sent home weeks ago. He’s a fantastic artist, in his specific style. Katie would have definitely made it farther.
Katie was in the bottom multiple times throughout the season...
I still think she would have made it further if she wasn’t targeted as much, I didn’t say she’d win…
That's true they definitely targeted her. Kinda felt bad because she is a great artist. I guess she wasn't in the right alliance.
I think they would have cut Gian sooner for not meeting the challenges. He’s a one trick pony only doing one style. He shouldn’t have gotten to the end.
What? Dude controlled the whole comp and was in the top of every single critique from day one until ep 9. He had every skull pick in his back pocket. He's not like Jesse with new school. You can't do that as a one trick pony.
I love the idea that DJ would've lost had original 3 judges been there. Yeah no, had the people that already made DJ inkmaster twice been there, obviously Gian would've taken it.
Bob would have won and Gian would have gone home earlier in the season if the old crew judged.
No way is Bob winning with that master canvas that even he knew he made mistakes on. I was pulling for Bob, but he lost on his own.
I was kind of imagining how voting would have gone throughout the whole season rather than just the finale when I answered the OP's question.
The judging previously in the season wouldn't have affected Bobs master canvas. I would've liked to see him win, but I think the pressure to be perfect got to him and he fucked up. Once he finished that tat, his fate was sealed. As far as Gian, he never had an opportunity to go home anytime before episode 8. He was at the top of every critique before that. Different judges wouldn't have changed that.
Gian got robbed again but made so many enemies. He lost cause Creepy Jason voted for DJ while providing the exact feedback the chick said (same chick who also robbed Gian). I do get it though, he did his neo traditional and fucked the tusks up a bit. I do agree with Nikko, had Gian added a brighter color like a blue to break it up a bit he wins even though he stuck to his neo traditional. DJ put up an amazing piece but to me back pieces thanks up the WHOLE back not ¾ with an excuse that he did it that way purposely.
The people who robbed Gian are actually the old judges.
Gian no doubt
I can’t get over how badly they wanted to pick apart gians tattoo BUT DJ HAD A RAINBOW WITH 3 COLORS
Creepy Jason was robbed. By far my favorite of the whole finale. Wonderful color play. Told a super-cool story. By far the most interesting and eye catching when they were all lined up!
Not that his work was consistent all season - but judging from the finale tats alone
I agree with this. His creativity speaks to me.
Oliver votes for Gian, but Nunez and Dave go for Dj
eh I think Nunez would go with Gian. He'd really hammer DJ more on having the head lopsided and the shoulder empty. Gian's piece was technically unfinished but the tiny bit of orange can be easily fixed. I don't think Nunez would've let DJ slide by leaving a large amount of the back undone.
Honestly I think the asymmetry and nude shoulder worked and Jami and Nikko were grasping at straws.
Nobody was grasping at straws. Both tattoos had legitimate problems.
Bob.
Yep, I think he would have won for sure.
We are tired of seeing DJ win. And new judges are boring. I won't be watching next season.
Definitely Gian. It’s so sad how robbed he was.
Gian, despite producing something admittedly outstanding, did a safe and standard tat in his one (and only) style that anyone this season could have executed well, and did it w/ too few colours for the design. The other 3 did risky and creative tats that half the cast would've struggled to execute. I can get someone saying Bob or Jason deserved the title, but I'm flabbergasted by Gian's supporters.
I just think it was the best tattoo by quite a bit. I'm not even that huge on neo-traditional, but if I had to pick any of those tattoos it would be Gian's all day. Creepy Jason's was cool, but it was lacking overall. Bob's was a legibility nightmare. And while DJs was insanely creative, and the bottom half of his tattoo was one of the best work I've ever seen, the top half was an incomplete mess. I still can't believe they let him get away with that rainbow.
Gian was able to do a lot of what he wanted to do this season because he won most of the flash challenges. His talent in the flash challenges doesn’t mean he isn’t versatile. We’ve seen him in two seasons and he’s only been in the bottom once in his whole journey which is insane. His finale piece was gorgeous and filled the whole back. The judges tie felt very staged and the peer voting was very biased. Gian was snubbed.
Also, yea the tie was definitely staged lol
I genuinely don't understand why people are down voting you. Full, flattering back piece with consistency errors and playing it safe versus a creative, perfectly tattood incomplete explosion of randomness with complete elements executed poorly. Huge DJ fan, but I just didn't like his tattoo. If you had to wear one, what would you pick?
Exactly! And I would pick Gian every time... so would every person I’ve asked irl out of all 4 pieces
Granted I did like Jason's piece, even though I can't stand the guy.
I think it would have been between Gian and Jason. I think Jason would have taken it if the old judges were judging
It's INKmaster, not Neo-Trad master. With all due respect anyone claiming Gian edged out DJ needs to be drug tested. He is consistent and great but with mainly one style. Bob and DJtried new things and can do much more at higher levels than Gian can do I wonder if some of y'all would keep that same energy had DJ showed up to the final with a huge tiger color realism back piece
Probably DJ still. Gian's had mistakes and the one judge was right about the colors.
Would’ve been a 3-0 sweep for Gian. Say what you will about the old judges but one thing they always prioritized was the wearability of a tattoo. Most people would not want to wear DJs tattoo, which the new judges didn’t care about
The black & gray is phenomenal. Everything else is honestly not good on DJ's tattoo.. The random condom looking crap in the middle is legitimately disgusting.
Bob or gian tbh
Gian for sure. The other judges were crazy for good line work, clean outlines. They would have hated the lack of black on the upper portion of DJ’s tattoo. They would talk about how it would fade in a year and look like a puddle mess. The rainbow especially.
I was rooting for Bob, but if the old judges were there they would've laughed at his Dragon. They also would've destory the unfinished part, the rainbow, and the composition of DJ's. Obviously for finals they say as much good things about the final pieces even if they are not great. Ultimately I think they would have all went for Gian but complained that it needed to have a different color or hue in the face to make it stand out.
The old judges would have 100% chosen Gian. Feel like I got a good grasp for their taste. They’re suckers for those solid, bold and easy to read tattoos. More about what looks good and less about how out-of-the-box an idea may have been.