Ink Master: Rivals is the fifth season of the tattooing competition series Ink Master that premiered on Spike on September 2 and concluded on December 16, 2014, with a total of 16 episodes. The show is hosted and judged by Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, with accomplished tattoo artists Chris Núñez and Oliver Peck serving as series regular judges. The winner received a $100,000 prize, a feature in Inked Magazine and the title of Ink Master.
The premise of this season was featuring tattoo artist rivals as they compete against each other in an elimination-style competition.
This season saw the returns of season 3 contestants Jason Clay Dunn and Joshua Hibbard, who originally finished the competition in 6th and 5th place respectively.
The winner of the fifth season of Ink Master was Jason Clay Dunn, with James "Cleen Rock One" Steinke being the runner-up.
Judging and ranking
Judging Panel The judging panel is responsible for passing judgement on each artist. They collaborate and use information from their own perception, the audience vote, human canvas vote, and the winner's worst vote to determine who should be sent home. Weight of decisions is set by the terms of the challenge skill.
Audience Voting Audience voting is done through Facebook and Twitter, and was introduced in season 2. In season 5, the audience vote was used in the finale episode to guarantee one of the finalists a spot in the top two.
Human Canvas Jury After the tattoos are completed, the canvases for the challenge gather and vote on the best and worst of that day's tattoos. While the primary judges have the final say, the weight of the canvas vote does affect the judging panels final decision.
Contestants Names, experience, and cities stated are at time of filming.
Contestant Name Years ofexperience Hometown Outcome Jason Clay Dunn20Montclair, CaliforniaWinner James "Cleen Rock One" Steinke19Las Vegas, Nevada Runner-up Erik Siuda18Bethpage, New York3rd place Mark Longenecker20Cocoa Beach, Florida4th place Cris Element8Brooklyn, New York5th place Aaron "Is" Michalowski16Tampa, Florida6th place Don Peddicord8Baltimore, Maryland7th place Joshua Hibbard12Portland, Oregon8th place Emily Elegado6Goose Creek, South Carolina9th place Julia Carlson5Browns Mills, New Jersey10th place Angel Bauta18Brooklyn, New York11th place Ty'Esha Reels6Providence, Rhode Island12th place Robbie Ripoll18Viera, Florida13th place Ryan Eternal9Orlando, Florida14th place Tim Lees17San Diego, California15th place Jayvo Scott13Melbourne, Florida16th placeElton "LT" Duarte3Providence, Rhode Island17th place Caroline Evans15Bradley Beach, New Jersey18th place Notes
Rivalries Rivals Reason for Rivalry Winner of RivalryAngel Bautavs.Cris ElementAngel hired Cris in his shop, but after honing his skills,Cris quit when Angel was most in need of his help.Cris ElementJulia Carlsonvs.Caroline EvansJulia and Caroline are rival co-workers.Julia CarlsonElton "LT" Duartevs.Ty'Esha ReelsAfter a showdown at a tattoo expo where LT emerged as the victor,Ty’Esha wanted a rematch.Ty'Esha ReelsJason Clay Dunnvs.Joshua HibbardJason and Joshua returned to settle their unresolved competitionfrom the third season of Ink Master.Jason Clay DunnEmily Elegadovs.Aaron "Is" MichalowskiAaron was a guest artist at Emily's shop, where their rivalry started.Both artists felt the other's personality could not be trusted.Aaron "Is" MichalowskiRyan Eternalvs.Mark LongeneckerMark mentored Ryan, but was suspicious when he lost a tattoo competition that Ryan was a judge in.Ryan feels Mark's work is outdated.Mark LongeneckerTim Leesvs.James "Cleen Rock One" SteinkeCleen hired Tim at his shop, but threatened to kick him out over poor work.Tim thinks Cleen has an ego problem.James "Cleen Rock One" SteinkeDon Peddicordvs.Erik SiudaRivalry began through trash talking on social media.Erik SiudaRobbie Ripollvs.Jayvo ScottTwo brothers, Jayvo and Robbie each believe the other's artwork is not up to par.Robbie Ripoll
Contestants' progress Contestant Episode12345678910111213141516Jason Clay DunnSAFESAFESAFEBTM4SAFETOP2BTM3SAFEBTM4BTM2SAFEADV WinnerCleen Rock OneSAFEHIGHTOP2SAFEBTM4LOWRunner-upErik SiudaSAFEHIGHBTM3SAFESAFESAFEBTM4SAFETOP2TOP2BTM3SAFEADVEliminated BTM3SAFEBTM3BTM3BTM4SAFESAFESAFEBTM4BTM4SAFEBTM2ELIM GuestCris ElementSAFESAFESAFEBTM3SAFESAFESAFEBTM4BTM4SAFEBTM3ELIM GuestAaron IsSAFESAFESAFELOWSAFESAFESAFEBTM3SAFELOWELIM GuestDon PeddicordSAFESAFESAFELOWSAFEBTM3BTM4SAFEBTM4ELIM GuestJoshua HibbardSAFEHIGHSAFESAFEHIGH GuestEmily ElegadoSAFESAFESAFESAFEBTM3BTM4HIGHELIM GuestJulia CarlsonSAFEHIGHSAFELOWBTM3BTM4ELIM GuestAngel BautaSAFELOWSAFESAFESAFEELIM GuestTy'Esha ReelsBTM3SAFESAFESAFEELIM GuestRobbie RipollSAFEBTM3HIGHSAFEELIM GuestRyan EternalSAFESAFEBTM3SAFEELIM GuestTim LeesSAFEBTM3LOWELIM GuestJayvo ScottSAFESAFEELIM GuestLTSAFEELIM GuestCaroline EvansELIM Guest
The contestant won Ink Master. The contestant was the runner-up. The contestant was eliminated during the finale. The contestant advanced to the finale. The contestant was exempt from the first elimination. The contestant won Best Tattoo of the Day. The contestant won their Head-to-Head challenge. The contestant was among the top. The contestant received positive critiques. The contestant received negative critiques. The contestant was in the bottom. The contestant was in the bottom and voted Worst Tattoo of the Day by the Human Canvas Jury. The contestant was eliminated from the competition. The contestant was voted Worst Tattoo of the Day and was eliminated from the competition. The contestant was disqualified from the competition. The contestant returned as a guest for that episode.
Episodes <onlyinclude>
References
External links Official website