Ink Master: Peck vs Nuñez is the eighth season of the tattoo reality competition Ink Master that premiered on August 23 and concluded on December 6, 2016, on Spike with 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 will receive a $100,000 prize, a feature in Inked Magazine, a Dodge Charger, a guest spot at their respective team captain's shop (Oliver Peck's Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas, Texas or Chris Nuñez's Handcrafted in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) and the title of Ink Master.
The premise of this season was Núñez and Peck going head-to-head for the first time in Ink Master history where thirty artists battled for a spot on either team, with both teams consisting of nine artists each. The first seven episodes featured each team battling their own members in an elimination-style competition for a spot in the top ten. Then, the top five artists on Team Núñez battled Team Peck's top five artists.
The winner of the eighth season of Ink Master was Ryan Ashley, who became the first female winner in the competition, with Gian Karle Cruz being the runner-up.
Judging and ranking
Judging Panel The judging panel is the table of three primary judges. They will vote to see who had the best tattoo of the day and who will be eliminated as well as choosing the winner of Ink Master.
Jury of Peers The team that is safe from elimination will put one artist from the opposing team up for elimination. They will then explain to the judges why that artist was chosen. From the tenth episode onwards, all the artists will critique each other's work.
Contestants The first episode introduces 30 contestants who competed in a two-part elimination tattoo marathon with each part narrowing down to 26 and 22 artists respectively. Nuñez and Peck then picked the first five artists to be on their respective team. The remaining 12 artists competed again to earn a spot on Team Nuñez or Team Peck. The official 18 artists for this season were split into two teams of 9 artists.
Names, experience, and cities stated are at time of filming.
Contestant Name Years ofexperience Hometown Outcome Ryan Ashley4Kingston, PennsylvaniaWinner Gian Karle Cruz7Puerto RicoRunner-up Kelly Doty 8 Salem, Massachusetts3rd place Nate Beavers24Houston, Texas4th place Nikki Simpson5Los Angeles, California5th place Kevin Laroy10Dallas, Texas6th place Anwon "Boneface" Johnson17Pensacola, Florida7th place Jason "Sketchylawyer" Lawyer9Senoia, Georgia8th place Eric Gonzalez18 Lynwood, California9th place Mike McAskill8Riverside, California10th place Gia Rose13Philadelphia, Pennsylvania11th place “Tuff” Tito Velez22Belleair, Florida12th place Matt Murray4Beverly, Massachusetts13th place Sirvone Smith6Fredericksburg, Virginia14th place John Collins14Atlanta, Georgia15th place Dave Robinowitz11Boynton Beach, Florida16th place Geary Morrill †17Ferndale, Michigan17th place Carolyn Elaine6Chicago, Illinois18th place
Chosen Team NuñezJohn CollinsKelly Doty Carolyn ElaineEric GonzalezKevin LaroyJason "Sketchylawyer" LawyerNikki SimpsonSirvone SmithTito “Tuff Tito” Velez
Team PeckGian Karle CruzNate BeaversAnwon "Boneface" JohnsonRyan AshleyMichael "Mike" McAskillGeary MorrillMatthew "Matt" MurrayDavid "Dave" RobinowitzGia Rose
Not chosen ContestantsBrandon "Hobo Ink" AllenRaphael BarrosChris Saint ClarkCris EckJohnny FlashElisheba IsraelChauncey "CK" KochelBrett OsborneMarie MakowskiDanielle McKnightRyan MurrayHillary "Princess Hilla" Santagata
† indicates that the artist has since died after filming ended.
Contestant progress Indicates the contestant was a part of Team Nuñez. Indicates the contestant was a part of Team Peck.
Contestant Episode23456789101113141516Ryan AshleySAFEBTM3HIGHSAFESAFETOP2SAFEBTM3ADV WinnerGian KarleSAFEHIGHSAFETOP2SAFESAFETOP3TOP3SAFEADVRunner-upKelly DotySAFEHIGHTOP2SAFESAFESAFEBTM3TOP3TOP2BTM2ADVEliminated Nate BeaversSAFESAFEBTM4SAFESAFESAFEBTM4BTM3HIGHBTM3ELIM GuestNikki SimpsonTOP3SAFEHIGHSAFEBTM3SAFEHIGHTOP3BTM3ELIM GuestKevin LaRoyBTM3SAFELOWBTM3SAFEBTM3SAFESAFEBTM3BTM3ELIM GuestBonefaceSAFEHIGHLOWSAFEBTM3SAFEBTM4HIGHSAFEELIM GuestSketchylawyerTOP3SAFEHIGHSAFESAFESAFESAFEBTM3SAFE GuestEric GonzalezSAFESAFEHIGHHIGHSAFETOP2SAFETOP2ELIM GuestMike McAskillSAFESAFESAFESAFESAFESAFEBTM4ELIM GuestGia RoseSAFEBTM3SAFESAFEBTM3SAFEELIM GuestTuff TitoBTM3SAFELOWBTM3SAFEELIM GuestMatt MurraySAFESAFELOWSAFEELIM GuestSirvone SmithLOWSAFEBTM4ELIM GuestJohn CollinsSAFESAFEELIM GuestDave RobinowitzSAFESAFEELIM GuestGeary MorrillSAFEELIM GuestCarolyn ElaineELIM 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 won Best Tattoo of the Day. 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 put in the bottom by the Jury of Peers. The contestant was eliminated from the competition. The contestant was put in the bottom by the Jury of Peers and was eliminated from the competition. The contestant quit the competition. The contestant returned as a guest for that episode.
Episodes
References
External links