All language subtitles for Ink Master S07E10 Shipwrecked

Male announcer:
On the last episode

of "Ink Master"...

Eight new and veteran artists

were battling it out
to prove they're the best.

With no more veteran artists
returning,

the race to the finale
was more intense than ever.

- You must completely transform
your canvas's back,

giving them a full set of wings.

- [bleep] me.

- Two of you must tattoo
the same canvas

at the same time.

- Our tattoo is huge.

It is balls to the wall
from start to finish.

- Yeah.

- Tattooing with a partner
on the same body... it sucks.

- If there's things about
your tattoo I don't like,

at least I say it to your face.

- I think that's bull[bleep].

- You're fake as [bleep].

- Are you trying to stir
this [bleep] up more?

- I'm not fake, bro.

announcer: In the elimination,

Jime and Sausage
were the bottom two.

- What you don't know is that
this is a double elimination.

- Really.

- You will have one last chance
to redeem yourself.

You must challenge another
artist in the competition

to face off.

- [bleep] crazy.

- I'll choose Matti.

- If I'm going out with a bang,

I'm gonna take
the best guy over there.

I'm gonna challenge Cleen.

- Matti and I have some
unfinished business.

- I called out Cleen
because I wanted to do

an artistic battle with him,

not just some boring-ass,
copy machine tattooing.

- Why are you being all
butt-hurt at me, dude?

You're the one that
called me out.

- Jime and Cleen.

- The black is what really
sets off Cleen's tattoo.

That rich darkness
makes his more dynamic.

- Sausage and Matti.

- Sausage did great
on a lot of textures,

but it kind of looks
like his zombie

is posing for
his passport photo.

Matti's looks
like it just got whacked

off the shoulders
with a baseball bat.

- The judges have decided,
Sausage and Jime,

you do not have what it takes
to be Ink Master.

[dramatic music]

♪

announcer: Six artists remain,
but only one

will earn a $100,000 prize

and the title of Ink Master.

[rock music]

♪

- Wow, how about that [bleep]?

- Man, oh, man.

- It's like, I won,
but I feel like [bleep].

I sent my buddy home.

- Cleen seems really butt-hurt
about sending Jime Litwalk home,

but I'm punch-drunk
on Sausage's defeat,

and I'm ready to kill
everybody in the house.

- I'll tell you from experience,
now is crunch time,

and this is when it comes down
to [bleep] strategy.

- Our strategy is we got to be
[bleep] adaptable right now.

We need to be on point,
and we need to be a team.

We literally have to become
a little bit cold...

a little bit disassociated
from the other guys.

And at every point, any time
you see any weakness in them,

we have to exploit it.

- Hey, man, I'm a game player.
I'm ahead of that stuff.

- We control 50% of the house
right now, man.

We are half the game.

We are the finale
if we can make this happen.

- We are a perfect combination
to make one perfect engine.

- I think so too.

- I've never felt so strong
about anything,

ever, in my life.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Welcome.
Only six of you remain.

Half of you will compete
in the live finale,

and half of you
will go home empty-handed.

Only one of you
will win $100,000,

a feature in "Inked" magazine,

and the title of Ink Master.

- I'm so close to the finale
right now,

I can taste it.

- This is the strongest
top six ever,

but it's only going to get
more brutal,

because, once again, this week,

there is no flash challenge.

You are moving directly into
your next elimination tattoo.

- Everything we do now
has to be on point,

and everybody knows it,

because any slip-up
can send you out the door.

- This week,
we're testing adaptability.

- Adaptability means you need
to be able to do

anything outside
your comfort zone...

every style, any style,
any time.

- I'm sorry, Jesse.

- In the 1940s and '50s,

production tattooing
was a technique

developed by shop owners

to complete as many
tattoos as possible

in a short amount of time.

They found the quickest
way to work

was to mimic
a factory assembly line

and have one artist line,
one artist shade...

- Oh, [bleep].

- And one artist do the color.

And that's exactly
what you must do today.

- Whoo, Lord have mercy.

- Working in teams of three,

you must tattoo an American
traditional clipper ship.

- Clipper ships
are super challenging

because there's so many long,
one-pass outlines.

That right there in itself
is a challenge.

- It's up to you as a team

to decide which artist
tattoos the line work,

which artist tattoos
the shading,

and which artist
tattoos the color.

Once you choose,
you can't switch.

- I [bleep] hate traditional.

- It's a production
line, where the guy sits

and gets the outline,
then he sits and gets the color.

Once you're sitting
getting the shading,

you cannot go back to sit
and get the outline.

Back when they used to do
production line tattoos,

people would play up
to their strengths...

people that would just
line all day long.

If somebody in your team
is better at one thing,

play to that strength.

- I'm a little bit nervous
with Ollie,

because he is an American
traditional specialist,

and he knows all the rules.

And he's not afraid to tear
people apart

for breaking them.

- You'll be judged as a team.

Let's meet your canvases.

♪

Today, your teams
and your canvases

will be randomly assigned.

Canvases, one by one,

you will each choose
three skulls

to determine which artists
tattoo you.

- Christian.

- If I get stuck with the wrong
guys on this challenge,

no matter how good
my part looks,

the overall piece is gonna
look like [bleep].

- James.

- I totally don't want to get
paired with Jesse Smith.

He has no idea how to do
American traditional

or anything but his
new school crap.

♪

- Jesse.

- God damn it.

- I got the two oldest guys
in the competition,

and they have to know
about traditional.

They're old.

I feel good about my team.

- Matti.

Cleen Rock One.

Anthony.

- Anthony and Matti have this
little house of alliance,

and these guys have been gunning
for me since day one.

They better put all the
bull[bleep] aside,

because we all need to
work together as a team.

- Those are the teams.

You'll have six hours to tattoo

an American traditional
clipper ship.

And remember, you're being
judged on adaptability.

Good luck.

- Hi.
- Cleen.

So where are you thinking about
putting this ship at?

- The left thigh.

- Okay.
- Ooh, good spot.

- Every artist in almost
any genre

has to be adaptable
to be successful.

- Six hours' worth.

You're gonna get
a pretty big tattoo.

- And today, these artists

really have to work
well together,

for the simple fact
that they're being judged

as one tattoo,
and everything has to fall

perfectly into place,

or we're gonna pick
it out in a minute.

- All right, man
- Man, we're gonna have a blast.

- I'm sketching.
- Yeah.

I'm a little nervous.

I don't do American
traditional at all.

As much as I hate Cleen
as a competitor,

Cleen's style is derived
from traditional tattooing.

Being on his team is definitely
gonna work in my favor.

- I think it looks great.

- Of course I'm the only one
drawing this

because I'm the only one
that knows what I'm doing.

- You just... you whip that out?
- Yeah.

I'm not here to teach guys how
to do traditional tattoos.

If you don't have
these fundamentals,

get the hell
out of the business.

- You want me to do the black,
and him do the color?

- I'll [bleep]
line it out quick.

- You drew the whole damn
thing, so...

I mean, if I had drawn the whole
thing, I would've lined it.

- I mean, I got no problem
lining it, dude.

- You do the roses, I'll start
this, and then we'll...

and we'll figure it out
and meet in the middle.

- Christian, is there anything
you want me to work on?

- Jesse helping us
is the equivalent

of having a three-year-old help
when you're making dinner.

He can go off and do
some little thing.

Me and James will take care
of the real work.

- I can do the line work
if necessary.

- I'll do it.

- So we'll do black shading?
- Yeah.

- I mean, I'm definitely
a color dude,

so I feel like color
would be my strength,

but I'm down to do anything

that anybody feels like
they're not confident in.

Are you listening to me?

- I am.

- Christian and James

are pretty much
shutting me out of this.

It's obvious they have no
respect for me as an artist.

- My big concern with Jesse
is if he doesn't do

a lot of traditional,
he's gonna [bleep] overdo it

or go too smooth on colors.

- Getting the palate together.

- Oh, Lord have mercy.

It's American traditional.

You don't need 80 colors.

Reel it in.

[mimics line humming]

Come on, Jesse, come on. Aaah!

- They need more colors
in their tattoo.

Look at that.

- Minimal, minimal, minimal.

Any more colors than this,
and we're in trouble.

Lose this one and this.
- Just one... fade it.

- Jesse, you're gonna [bleep]
this [bleep] up, aren't you?

[industrial music]

♪

- Okay, artists.

You will have six hours
to show your adaptability

by tattooing a clipper ship
as a team.

And your time begins now.

- Let's do this.

- All right, all right.

- This stencil...

- For this elimination tattoo,

we're doing something
we've never done

on "Ink Master" before:
production line tattooing.

- Am I just stenciling this?

- How many people does it take
to screw in a light bulb?

- Two is good
for stenciling this big.

- Each team has to produce

an American traditional
clipper ship.

- I like it.
- Pretty straight.

- Strong outline,
strong shading, bright color...

clipper ships are one of my
favorite images.

One of these teams messes up,

I'm gonna nail them
to the wall for it.

♪

- Cleen's gonna do the line work

since he drew the [bleep]

and wouldn't let anybody else
put anything in there.

- I'm going nice and slow,

trying to make love
to this line work.

Of course I'm gonna line it.

You got to start out with a
big, bold, traditional outline.

I'm never this anal about
my line work.

I'm not gonna let these jokers
keep me from winning today.

- Looks good.

- I don't need a strong team.

I am the strong team.

♪

- You think you should move your
water a little over here?

- I think you should move
and let me do this outline.

- Working with Christian
is showing adaptability,

because he's a turd.

- Are you sure about that?

- The outline is almost done,

and you two old maids
need to figure this out,

'cause Ollie's gonna
tear our ass up if not.

- Aesthetically,
I like this way better.

However, if it's incorrect,
then we look like assholes.

- Four hours remaining.

- I got it, Matti.
Just get set up.

♪

Get it, Matti.

Come on, come on, come on,
come on, come on.

- Yeah, that's a good whip
right there, Matti.

- Man, I bet you guys
are making him nervous

just a-hovering right over him.

- We're working as a team, bro.
That's how it works.

- Is that what you're doing?

- I hate that this
elimination challenge

has to be a team effort.

I do clipper ships all the time.

I could do it blindfolded,

but I'm stuck
with just the shading.

That sucks.

♪

- I don't care what's going on
on my team.

All I know is this tattoo
won't send me home at all,

because my shading's
gonna be on point.

- Just turn the damn shading in
without any color,

and we're good.

Tattoo of the day,
black and gray.

Work it out, player.

- Two hours... two more hours.

- All right, Jesse, no pressure,

but everything now rests on you.

♪

- I'd make the bottom one
solid, you know?

Anthony's got me walking him
through every step of the way.

- All right,
so what are we doing here?

- A little brown off of there,

a little brown off of there,

just a... [tongue clicking]

Figure it out, bro.

I adapted more than
both of these guys.

I adapted into a teacher
and showed these two apprentices

how to do a traditional tattoo
for the first time.

- Oh, whoa.
That's the wrong one.

That's... that's brown, bro.

God damn.
I just had a heart attack.

- I may not tattoo American
traditional a lot,

but I'm not an idiot.

- The worst part
is just sitting here.

- 30 minutes.

- Get to work.

- I know how to put in color.

It's super solid,
super saturated...

We could put a little bit
of brown in here.

- Hell, no. No more brown.
[whistling]

-But all these assholes
are getting all stressed out,

and they're projecting it on me,

and it's starting to make me
stressed out.

- It's not that you're slow
or nothing, Jesse,

it's just that you're slow.

- Stop yelling at me, Christian.

We're on the same team.

I'm trying to make sure
this [bleep] is tight.

- James and I gave Jesse tons
of time to finish the color,

but he's taking twice as long
as it should.

And if we get [bleep]
because of Jesse,

I'm gonna be pissed.

Jesus Christ, Jesse.

- Hang in there, Chris.

I'm trying to make sure
this is solid.

-I would like to rip
his little head off

and stuff it into
a little animal,

and give it to my kids
to play with.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

That is it. Time's up.

Machines down.

No more ink.

- What do you think, Chris?

- That looks badass.

- That looks really good.

- I thought Matti was gonna put
some black in this thing.

There ain't no shading in there.

Just like... [whistling]

- Do you love it or what?

- Yeah, I really love it.

-After looking at this tattoo,

I ain't even worried
about Jesse's color,

'cause we got this thing.

[rock music]

- So do you feel like you guys
worked together pretty good?

- Jesse was slow as [bleep].

It was painful to watch.

I think I could have
done that tattoo

as good or better in four hours.

- A lot of the decisions that
you got me to make in that

weren't exactly the decisions
I would have made.

- Well, then you should have
nutted up and said so.

When you were telling me,
I told you to get

the [bleep] out of my way,
'cause I know what I'm doing.

- Yeah, because you're
an asshole.

- No, I know what I'm doing.
- Every...

- I wasn't asking you
for advice yesterday.

- If it wasn't for me,
our flags would be backwards.

- The one guy
who actually did the artwork

made one little flaw.
- One flaw?

I could have drawn them flags on

with a [bleep] pen
in my [bleep].

- Why didn't you? You didn't
draw a [bleep] thing in there.

- I should have.
- You should thank me.

- Now you're walking around
acting like you [bleep]

did the whole tattoo
by yourself.

- You have absolutely
no conception

on how American
traditional works.

That's where the one-trick-pony
thing comes in.

- You're a one-trick pony,
and your one trick is boring.

Like, your tattoos...
there's no life behind them.

There's no energy.
There's no soul.

You are doing what everybody
else has already done,

and you're getting on me
for doing something

that I've developed on my own.

The fact of the matter is
I have put a lot of time

into developing
what I've put together,

and my soul is in there.

My thought process is in there.

When you see a Jesse Smith
tattoo, you say,

"That's a [bleep]
Jesse Smith tattoo."

That's my voice, my soul.

Everything in that tattoo is me.

When I see your tattoos,
I see everybody else's tattoos.

- You are an arrogant
little prick, just like I said.

- Hey, man, did I hurt
your feelings?

- Of course it does.

- "Jesse Smith doesn't love me."

- You go [bleep]
your little self.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Today you had to prove
your adaptability.

Remember, you're being
judged as a team.

Cleen, Matti, and Anthony,

you're up first.

♪

How did you guys choose
who took on what task here

on the assembly line?

- I was pretty open
to doing anything.

- He drew it;
he should outline it.

I do a lot of black pepper
shading.

I'm pretty good at it.

Anthony, he's a color
saturation guy,

so that's good.

- So, Anthony, how did you guys
find working together as a team?

- I mean, the topic at hand
was adaptability.

We all did really well.

These guys are a little bit
more versed

in this style of tattooing.

I'm a great listener,
and I learned really quick.

From there on out,
it was pretty easy.

- First off, overall, guys,
I just like the tattoo.

Super clean, super simple,
straight to the point...

exactly what traditional
tattoos are meant to be.

Breaking this thing down
into three parts,

for the size of the tattoo,

it's a nice, solid,
bold outline...

a lot of straight, bold,
well-executed lines.

- The line weight is what
I really like about it:

The boldness of the outline
in contrast to the shading.

- Matti, in the shading,
you did a great job

pulling off that peppered effect

in a lot of areas
of this tattoo.

- I especially like
the black shading in the water.

Keeping that water all black

and doing it that way
looks tough.

It's tempting to want
to go blue,

but the black definitely
stands out.

- Well, going on to the color,
there's some areas

where the color doesn't go
solid up to the line:

In the red against the sail,
the red against the boat,

a couple of areas where the
brown to the line of the boat.

And where the red
meets the front sail,

it's not so saturated
up to the line.

And I feel like that red glow
that comes up,

you lost the roundness of that
shape of the horizon.

You just went kind of
straight up with it.

There would be the area inside
that front sail

by the front of the ship
where that red

would be in behind
the sails a little bit.

I would have kept that red
a little lower

and just had more of an arc

instead of just
coming so far up.

Overall, it's a good, solid take

on a very simple,
traditional tattoo.

♪

- Christian, Jesse, and James,

you're up next.

♪

Christian, how did you guys
choose who took on what task?

- Jesse, obviously, is great
with color saturation,

and James felt really
comfortable doing the shading,

so I picked lining.

- Who drew the ship?
Who came up with the design?

- I did the ship,
and James did the roses.

And then we all worked together
on the composition and stuff.

- You guys did a nice job
putting the design together.

I like the roses at the bottom

to finish a strong,
traditional look.

- Didn't go overboard
with too much.

Just kept just the right amount
of simple,

but it definitely has a very
strong skeleton to it.

The outline is pretty
flawless, man.

The outline is really,
really nice.

It's a huge tattoo,

but every single line exactly
the same thickness.

One of the most overall
consistent outlines

that we've seen.

- The black shading throughout
the tattoo really is nice.

It works.

Because it is solid black,
it will look great.

As the color dissipates,
it'll still hold.

- I loved how much black
you put in the sails.

You give this whole tattoo
a lot of weight to it.

It's a nice peppered effect.

The areas where you left the
highlight between the line

and into the shading...
it's very smooth.

It's not wavering.

It's a nice attention to detail,

and the overall look
of the tattoo,

I think, really shines out.

- The color's nice and strong.

The balance is strong.

- From a distance, the amount
of color in this tattoo is nice.

The problem with
the red and the saturation

is you really look
at the roses...

you see where the red
is not really just solid punch

over top of the black
shading in every area.

- I was thinking color
was gonna be pretty easy...

just laying it it areas.

And then once I got in there,
it was a struggle for me,

because I felt like
when you brush the red

over the top of the black,

it kind of makes the black
not as dark.

- You want the red
to at least saturate

all the shading
part of the black,

and you pound that red
over the top of that black.

That was the way to go
with the roses.

But you have a couple areas
where it's a little bit soft.

♪

Usually, on traditional day,
we have a lot of stinkers

and a lot of people that
don't do the style

and a lot of people that
just can't understand it.

But today we have
two really strong,

really standout
traditional tattoos.

I'm stoked.

- The six of you
really capitalized

on the punch word of the day,
which was adaptability.

You constructed your
designs well.

You worked together well.

And this was one of those times
where everybody shined.

♪

- All right, guys, you've heard
the judges' critiques,

and both teams did solid work.

No doubt about that.

As we keep saying, this is
the strongest group of artists

that's ever competed
for the title of Ink Master.

This race is extremely tight.

Now the power is in your hands.

You, as a team,
know better than anyone

who on your team
showed adaptability

and who did not.

You must decide which artist
on your team

was the weakest.

The artist each team nominates
will be up for elimination.

- Whew...

- This was one of those times
where everybody shined.

This is gonna be a really
tough one for you guys.

And, like it's tough for us,

today it's gonna be your turn
to feel it.

- I think this is gonna be
a rough choice.

The fact that you all worked
together well as a team

is gonna make it
even more difficult.

- Pick wisely.

Now you're back
to playing the game.

- Head back to the loft.

You have a very important
decision to make.

- Ooh, Lord.

♪

- Do you just want to pick
a [bleep] fight or what?

I'm sick and tired of you,
and I'd love to see you

get the [bleep] out of here.
- I'm over this.

- It's tough to see a room
full of tough guys

get soft pretty quick.

- Which artist are you putting
up for elimination?

[dramatic music]

♪

- What are you guys thinking?

- I feel I've been the most
adaptable in this house.

I feel you were
the least adaptable.

- I walked you through
the whole entire tattoo.

I didn't put the color in sloppy
like you did.

- Who would you guys send out?

- If we're going by who was
weakest in the challenge,

I think you're
the obvious choice.

- What do you think, James?

- Christian's been on top
since the beginning.

- And it's a sure win
if we send you down.

- No, I'm not volunteering
to go down.

- I'm not...

- I just don't see any strategic
advantage to doing that.

- What about you, James?
What's your vote?

- It's very hard.

- I think you should
vote Christian down.

- Do you just want to pick
a fight or what?

What do you want from me here?
- Dude,

I'm just putting
[bleep] out there, I mean,

essentially you could take out
one of the strongest players.

- Well, right now you're
annoying.

I'm here to play a game.
This is a competition.

I'm gonna go with the weakest
link every [bleep] time.

- I'm not trying to get you
to go down.

- Shut the [bleep] up.
- I just asked you a question.

- All right, well,
I'll let you guys get it.

- You've got my vote for sure,

because I'm sick and tired
of you and your little mouth,

and I'd love to see you
get the [bleep] out of here.

- Christian's afraid to go to
the bottom because he's a pussy.

I know that I can beat
any of these guys head-to-head.

- Oh, jeesh.

- How are they doing?
- They're going at it.

- It sounds like we're kind of
in the same situation.

According to the critique, I'm
the weakest link on my team.

I'm a man, and I own up
to my mistakes.

- So what's the consensus vote?

- These guys think that
I didn't adapt,

which doesn't make sense.

- I'm over this.

If no one wants to step
to the plate, I'll go.

- You're going down?

Who's your vote for, Matti?

- I don't want
to vote for Anthony,

but if he volunteers, I mean,
I can't tell him not to.

- Anthony wants
to volunteer himself

out of some misguided
sense of nobility.

This isn't an honor system, man.

It's a game. Play it.

What the [bleep] are you doing?

If you go down and you lose,
we lose you.

- I'm not gonna lose.

- What if? I don't care.

It's a what if.

- I was just going
based on the critique.

- [bleep] the critique.
Did you [bleep] up?

- No.
- Okay.

So do you deserve to go down?

So... - Matti's just like...

- You just let Cleen
out-talk you is it.

We're teammates. We go together.

You and I said that day one.

We're right there.

Why on God's green Earth

would you put yourself
on the chopping block?

I forbid it.

♪

- Today you had to tattoo
as a team.

Now it's up to you to decide

which artist on your team
was the weakest.

Cleen, Matti, and Anthony,

your team is up first.

Matti, which artist are you
putting up for elimination?

♪

- Are you sure you want
to do this, man?

♪

I'm nominating Anthony, 'cause
he volunteered to go down.

♪

- Cleen, which artist are you
putting up for elimination?

♪

- I guess myself.

I can't sit here and throw
somebody under the bus.

We all did a great tattoo,
so I'm here to tattoo, man.

♪

- Anthony, which artist are you
putting up for elimination?

♪

- I'm voting for myself.

I'm pretty much basing it off
of the way the critique went.

If you guys feel I missed
the mark on coloring

up against the lines, so be it.

- By a vote of two to one,
Anthony,

you have been put up
for elimination.

Please step down.

♪

Christian, Jesse, and James,
your team is next.

Christian, which artist are you
putting up for elimination?

♪

- I'm voting for Jesse.

Myself and James carried
the majority of the tattoo,

and he was the weakest link.

- Jesse, which artist are you
putting up for elimination?

♪

- I vote myself.

I completely agree
with Christian.

I think that they carried me
through this challenge,

and I felt it only made sense
for me to vote myself down here.

♪

- James...

which artist are you
putting up for elimination?

- My tattoo could stand alone
without color.

Jesse's my choice.

- The vote is unanimous.

Jesse, you have been put up
for elimination.

Please step down.

♪

- James, how you feeling
out there?

- Part of the game, brother.

- Every single elimination
is tough, man.

It's tough to see a room
full of tough guys

get pretty soft pretty quick.

- I am who I am, brother.

♪

- Anthony and Jesse,

your teammates have put you up
for elimination,

but only one of you will be
packing your machines.

You will have one final chance

to save yourself.

Tomorrow, the two of you
must face off

in a six-hour tattoo
proving your adaptability.

- At this point, we know we're
gonna see two great tattoos.

Come out swinging.

This is you guys
battling each other

as two tremendous artists.

- Anthony and Jesse,
get your machines ready.

Good luck.

♪

- You must draw your
tattoo directly

onto your canvas's skin
freehand.

- Let's get it on!

- There's really nothing you
can say about what this is.

It's a little bit confusing.

- Overall, it doesn't
speak to me.

This is gonna boil down
on both sides of the table

to technicalities.

[dramatic music]

♪

- I know I can win
this face-off.

That's why I voted myself
to the bottom.

I'm versatile, I'm determined,
and I'm adaptable.

If I take Jesse out
of this competition,

I'll be completing
one of my goals

of taking the veterans out
one by one.

- Boy, they both got
their game faces on.

Going to be an
interesting match-up.

- I'm not worried about
competing with Anthony.

He's an amazing artist for 5
years of experience,

but I got 17.

If I lose, then I didn't
deserve to be here.

♪

- Anthony and Jesse,

your teammates determined
that you were the weakest.

You must now face off
for survival.

You've each been randomly
assigned a canvas,

and your canvases
are completely open.

The subject and style of your
design is completely up to you.

However, to prove
your adaptability,

you must draw your tattoo

directly onto your
canvas's skin...

freehand.

- Wow.

- You cannot use any stencils,

and you must draw
from scratch...

- Oh, wow!

- With no reference.
- [sighs]

Freehand and no reference?

Jesse's made a name for himself
being an illustrator

and coming up with images
off the top of his head.

I'm [bleep] screwed.

- This is exactly what I needed,

because I want to do
something crazy.

I want to do what I do.

This is my comfort zone.

♪

- This is a really good
opportunity to do something

you haven't been able to do
so far in this competition.

Show us whatever you want to do.

Any style. Complete freedom.

Doesn't have to be
a huge tattoo.

It has to be a great tattoo.

- Guys, this is the ultimate
competitive platform right here.

This is right out of your brain
right onto the skin.

Go at it.

- Let's bring in your canvases.

You have six hours to tattoo,

and your time starts now.

- Let's get it on!

- Jesse Smith
and Anthony Michaels

could easily make it
to the finale.

One of them's not.

- I specialize
in little critters:

Rabbits, squirrels.

I do the googly eyes and teeth.

- These two tattooers have
such a different background.

- We can do, like, a traditional
eagle or something.

- That's cool.

- And that'll surprise
the judges

because they wouldn't
expect that.

- Typically experience
is everything.

But there are times
where inexperience

creates hunger
and creates drive.

- I know the judges wouldn't
expect it either,

but I'm gonna
murder this [bleep].

- We'll have to see
how Anthony does

going up against a veteran
that knows all the tricks.

♪

- You're just drawing
right now...

seeing what comes out.

- This is the first time
in this competition

that I've got a piece
of open skin

to do whatever I want.

I'm taking advantage of it.

- This tattoo right here
is a game-changer.

If I win,
then I knock Anthony out,

one of the strongest
competitors,

and I have an easier path
to the finale.

I'm ready to show these guys
what I'm made of.

♪

- I screwed up the American
traditional clipper ship.

I have to redeem myself.

I'm tattooing a freehand eagle

across the shoulder blades
of my canvas.

I'm out for blood.

I'm creating something
that's badass.

- Is there a party in here
or what?

- I wish.

- Anthony has taken a big risk

in a huge shoulder-to-shoulder
eagle on this guy's back.

- So this is your go-to?
- No.

- Typically in this competition,

eagles have been
a recipe for disaster,

and today Anthony is tattooing
one on with no reference.

- I don't normally tattoo
this style,

and I figured I'd push
myself a bit.

You know what I mean?

- You're staying black and gray
with it?

- No. No.
- No?

- Watch... Jesse will be doing
a portrait.

Jesse, you doing
a portrait over here?

- I'm [bleep] going for it.

-What Jesse's doing
is his own made-up character

that there's no rules.

There's nothing to hold him
to the fire on in this tattoo.

On paper, this challenge
is looking like

Jesse's got it in the bag.

- All right, guys, you have
four hours remaining.

♪

- Ooh, damn.

I think right now,
Anthony's balls

might be bigger than his head.

He wants to impress the judges,

but I need him
to maintain control

so that we can make it
to the end like we planned.

Everybody's helping Anthony out.

Nobody's trying to help me out.

- Make sure you do tough claws.

- They got three on top
and then one on the bottom.

They have four? - Yeah.

Three on top
and one on the bottom.

- I'm not competing against

one person on this tattoo.

I'm competing against five.

- I am pretty sure
it's three and one.

-But you know what?

Adaptability is being able
to take a bad situation

and make it good.

My dad was in the Army.
I grew up all over the world.

I've had to adapt every time
I've moved.

I was always exposed to a bunch
of different artists,

and I pulled a piece from every
artist I've ever met,

and that's where
my style comes from.

Now I'm all alone,

and I'm getting to do
what I want to do.

Anthony's in trouble.

- Everybody's gonna
help Anthony,

because Jesse's tattoo is
coming straight from his head.

It's not gonna be very easy
to critique.

- I think you should tell him
"I did an eagle

because he eats little
googly-eyed creatures."

- Anything you say about it,
he could just explain away

in some imaginary
fairytale story.

- This particular guy
lives in the Creotic Sea...

preys on skimper fish.

- I don't know why Anthony's
choosing to do

traditional today
when he doesn't do traditional.

Maybe he's got a point to prove.

- Two hours...
two hours to go, guys.

- I'm gonna rip that clock
out of the wall.

♪

What's pushing me in this tattoo

is remembering everything
I had to fight for back home.

When I was five, my sister
went to the hospital.

They were gonna
remove her appendix,

and they gave her too much
anesthesia, and she died.

By the time they
brought her back,

she had lost too much
oxygen to her brain.

She was a vegetable.
She was on life support.

But, man, my mom wasn't
accepting anything

the doctors were saying.

She fought tooth and nail, man,

to get my sister back
to where she is now.

She went from being a vegetable

to winning medals left and right

in the Special Olympics.

My mom definitely inspired me
by her tenacity.

She didn't quit.

Everything I've been here
fighting for, this is it.

♪

- Five, four, three, two, one...

that is it.

Time is up. Machines down.

No more ink.

- Whoo!

Down to the wire.

Good job, dude. - It's badass.

- You can't get a more different
approach on each one, you know?

- Pretty crazy, man.

Jesse was smart doing something
that he loves to do:

Big-eyed, crazy creatures.

Your Muppet's got "toofuses."

I don't know
what the hell it is.

Well, they can't get you
on anatomy,

because nobody know what
the [bleep] that thing is.

But I think it should be way
more saturated than it is.

Jesse's supposed to be
the color guy.

Go figure.

- It's just a tough one to call.

- I don't think it's like,
bam, sure win... bam, sure win.

No. - Yeah.

'Cause neither one of
them played it like a pussy

and did a little, tiny tattoo;
they both went for [bleep].

- I feel like I would have
liked a little more time,

but I feel like I could say that

with every tattoo
I've ever done.

- That was a Jesse Smith
looking tattoo, man.

- Yeah, it is.

- Obviously, for me,
I'm rooting for Anthony.

I mean, he's the last one
of the original members here,

and, you know, we've been homies

since day one.

This has been a long road,

and everything just
gets so intense,

and things do become
very personal.

- You know, everybody's got,
like, those relationships.

- Yeah.

I mean, you bond with everybody.

But, you know, Ant and I...
right off the bat we just knew,

you know,
we had each other's backs.

♪

It's [bleep] absurd.

♪

- This is definitely
a do-or-die moment.

I need to get into the finale.

I need this $100,000.

My life is riding on this.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Today, you faced off to prove
your adaptability

by free-handing your design
directly onto the skin

with no reference.

Jesse, let's start with you.

♪

So what are we looking at here?

- This is a octo-bunny fish.

It's pretty much
straight from my head.

- It's a very creative tattoo.

Definitely recognizable
as your style of artwork,

but at first glance,
it's a little bit confusing

the way the body turns around
the back and what's going on.

Are those supposed
to be stitches

that are holding the
thing together in the back?

- Yeah, this particular
character...

he's been through
some bad times.

He relies on the pattern
on his sides

to attract other fish so
he can have a meal for the day.

It makes me sad to know that he
probably won't last that long,

because he can't move
like a normal fish.

- Thing's crazy.

- You know, there's really
nothing you can say

about what this is,
because it's something

totally created out
of your mind.

I think it's a great,
creative approach.

There are some areas that
are really shining...

the nose, the fang...

the little textures that really
stand out strong.

But there's some
saturation issues...

the muddy colors,
like the orange spots

that look scratchy
and unfinished.

Then there's some areas
that I think could have been

a little brighter
instead of that pale yellow.

Overall, it has a more muted,
washed-out feel.

This was your chance to really
do something super bright

and poppy on a pale skin.

- Jesse, there's no doubt
about your creativity,

but then looking at the
consistency of the outline,

you have a lot of
different line weights.

You have some areas where
you get a little gray,

or you have some thickness
where it looks like

you had to pick up
in some spots.

Overall, you did
a really cool image.

This is gonna to boil down
completely,

on both sides of the table,
to technicalities.

♪

- Anthony.

♪

This isn't really the most
traditional eagle in the world.

- I wanted that feel.

I know there's so much more
about traditional tattooing.

There's so many rules involved.

So I wanted to be
a little looser,

but keep some elements
of traditional being the black,

and I tried to simplify the
design as much as I could.

- But have you drawn a lot
of these eagles?

- No.

- Drawing a eagle like this
from memory... very risky.

Just going from nothing
and coming up with

an aesthetically pleasing look...

I think it's a great take,

and I love this
outline throughout...

big, nice, crisp.

But there's
some questionable ways

you did the feathers
in the wings.

- I didn't want the wings
to look so uniform.

- I shouldn't be able to see
the feather lines

go all the way to the base.

That black should
be black enough

to where those lines disappear
into the blackness,

and then it would have had
a much stronger look.

- Where, to me, things get short
is the color.

I don't love the brown stripes
off the yellow in the talons

and in the wings.

It doesn't speak to me
as powerfully

as everything else
in the tattoo.

♪

- What are you guys' thoughts?

- It's not apples to apples.

- Definitely taking a risk
doing a style

you're not familiar with.

I think it's a personal
triumph for Anthony.

I was happy to watch him swing
for the fences on that one.

- I see more hiccups on
the eagle outline than that one.

Everybody's like,
"Ah, it's just so crazy."

But there's a science
to doing what he does,

because there's 100,000 guys
out there trying to do

exactly what he does,
but it doesn't work.

So there is
a right and wrong way

to do a crazy character
like that.

When you look at that, you're
like, "That's Jesse Smith."

- But then, if you're creating
a fantasy character,

I have to look at the character

and believe
that it can function.

Jesse's arm coming directly out
from underneath the cheek

didn't look like it functioned.

And then the fin, I don't
understand if that's on its back

or if it's coming down a ridge
or something.

- I drew it all on,
and as far as adapting

from what I normally do,
I drew with the tattoo machine

while I was going.

There was a lot
of decisions I made

that weren't on there
when I started.

♪

- All right, it's time to go
to the judges here.

Which artist is going home?

- I feel like there's
some technical problems

with both these tattoos.

- We all agree that both have

some kind of anatomy issue.

We all agree that some areas

of each of the tattoos
are light.

Where I would say
that there's a gap

would come down to outlines.

Definitely, Anthony's tattoo has
a much stronger outline.

Looking at it line by line,
pass by pass, stroke by stroke,

the finesse that's
in that outline...

that is what's really strong.

- In terms of overall
readability

and maybe just taking it
up a notch,

Anthony may have stepped
a little bit further

out of his comfort zone.

- Anthony took the big risk.

He did a show stopper.

He did a tattoo to win.

- Final choice to go home?

♪

- I got to vote for Jesse.

- My final decision...

Jesse.

- Jesse.

- The judges have decided.

Jesse, you do not have
what it takes to be Ink Master.

- Thank you for the second
opportunity.

I appreciate it.

- Jesse, you do something
that is really your own thing.

And the fact that you tell us
a sad story about the fish

means you're actually
thinking it through,

which is a true sign
of an artist.

But it came down today
to the simplest part

of the whole tattoo:
the outline.

- Please pack your machines
and close shop.

♪

- This time around, it was weird.

It was just like a cold
shoulder from everybody.

I definitely felt outnumbered.

I don't feel like I should be
going home right now.

I'm capable of a lot more

than most of the people
in this house.

I'm better than all of them.

♪

announcer: On the next episode
of "Ink Master"...

- You must help your canvas
make a bold statement.

- Who agrees to tattoo this
kind of symbol on somebody?

You have no moral values.

- I'm not nervous one bit.

I can tattoo anything, any time.

- We are so close.
- It just makes me hungrier.

- If I go to this finale,
I want to take you with me.

-I don't know if anybody ever
has controlled the game

better than I have.

I kind of have this feeling that

you're sort of playing
both sides.

- It gets more of a turkey feel

than it does an eagle feel.

- I'm known for doing
big-ass tattoos.

- Larger doesn't always win.

- You can't always finish
something in one sitting.

- I don't think
I deserve to go home.

- The tattoo's unfinished, man.

[hard rock music]

♪