Ink Master: Grudge Match (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - My Style Is Better Than Yours - full transcript
It's a battle of egos as season twelve's Cam Pohl and Pon put their versatility to the test to settle score. It's style against style as season eleven's Tim Stafford clashes with Kyle ...
male announcer:
In 12 jaw-dropping seasons
of "Ink Master,"
we've witnessed
amazing artistry...
- Shut the [bleep] up!
announcer: Insane rivalries...
and wild personalities.
- Any [bleep] camera
follows me, I swear to God.
I don't give a [bleep].
I will break that
mother[bleep].
announcer: Now three iconic
"Ink Master" champions--
Ryan Ashley, DJ Tambe...
[cheers and applause]
And Cleen Rock One--
have risen to judge status,
deciding grudges
between some
of the competition's
most furious rivals.
- We gonna hash it out
like grown men,
or you gonna get
in my face again?
- Let's tattoo!
announcer: These foes
will have the opportunity
to settle the score
once and for all.
- I can be in your face
- I can be in your face, too.
- Guys, guys, guys.
- We can do it all day.
- I don't think
that grudge is over.
I think it just got worse.
announcer: Tonight two epic
feuds will come to a head.
It's a battle of styles
and egos...
and the grudges
will be settled now.
[dramatic music]
In our first grudge match,
season 12's lone wolf,
Cam Pohl,
was stabbed in the back by the
traditional specialist Pon.
- If it isn't the old
one-trick Pon.
You ready to finally nut up
or shut up?
announcer: Now these masters
of their own styles
will clash once again.
- I think the biggest prize is
I never got to see you again.
Sha-boom.
- All right, so we have Cam
and Pon today, guys,
from "Battle of the Sexes."
- I feel like they both have
very strong personality.
- Yeah. That's one
way to put it.
- Two totally different
strong personalities.
- Exactly.
- From the very beginning,
these two had some issues
butting heads.
- Pon wanted to be
a team player,
and Cam, right off the gate,
was like,
"Forget this team shit."
- Right. Right.
- "I'm here to win."
- I speak what's on my mind,
and I immediately get dismissed
as being this piece of shit.
- Sometimes you say things
that make me cringe,
but 'cause he's on my team,
I'm gonna defend him.
- This whole "team" bullshit
doesn't exist.
- I'm sick and tired of you.
I've tried to be nice.
Go [bleep] yourself.
- You know Pon was trying to
screw you over.
He knows that you would kill
that [bleep] mandala tattoo.
- On the surface, I think
we're like,
"Yeah, man, we're cool,"
but it's just like...
[blows raspberry]
- All of these artists
are coming in
with a grudge
against each other
about how they played the game,
so this is the best way to
settle it--tattoo for tattoo.
- Straight up.
- Face-to-face, honestly.
- 100%.
- Pon is honestly one
of the most self-righteous
people I've ever met.
Short-tempered,
he thinks he knows everything,
and he's just absolute garbage
to be around.
Like that? You can't even see
it behind it.
It, like, eclipses it.
- It's here.
- [laughing]
Don't hit me.
Out of anyone
in that competition,
going head-to-head against Pon
is gonna be a dream come true
because I would love
to shut him up.
- I think Cam's ego right now
is really bruised.
He thought
he was gonna make it
all the way to the end
of the competition,
but the fact that he got
eliminated before me
I think really upsets him.
What is that?
It looks like one
of Cam's tattoos.
- Stop!
- Yeah, we don't want to do
any of those, right?
Cam is a sore loser.
When he is upset,
you can see it on his face,
and I can't wait to see
that face again.
[exhales deeply]
- Oh, look at this guy.
- Here he comes.
- [exhales sharply]
Got, like,
PTSD right now.
- Handsome man.
- Ready for a cocktail
and a tattoo.
- Whoo-whoo!
- Yeah.
- I can't wait to see what Cam
has his butt hurt about.
- If it isn't the old
one-trick Pon.
You ready to finally nut up
or shut up,
or you just gonna keep it up
with the passive-aggressive
shit this time?
- Ooh!
- [gasps]
- I don't know what I did that
got you so butt hurt, but...
- The entire season,
constantly it was like,
"Oh, he doesn't even have
any talent.
He shouldn't even be here. He
[bleep] only does one thing."
It's like, you're telling me
I only do one thing?
- If Cam got to challenge
everyone he had a grudge with,
it would be
a group challenge for Cam.
- You know, you say that I was
this lone wolf,
didn't want anything to do
with the team.
You were a huge part of that.
- I know you're kind of butt
hurt that I gave you
the sacred heart over the
geometric mandala thing.
I could have sworn I handed you
a home run tattoo,
and you went home on it,
so, like, I'm like,
"I don't know what he's mad
at me about."
- You're pretending to play
this whole, like,
"Oh, I'm watching out
for you, man."
It's like, you watched out for
me by giving me something
that obviously ended up [bleep]
biting me in the butt
rather than doing something
that I would clearly knock
out of the park.
I'm not gonna lie.
I [bleep] hated you.
- I feel like he's just
gonna punch Pon.
- All right, let's go.
I heard enough. Let's go.
- Yeah, man.
- It's hard to save someone
who doesn't want to be saved.
- I can handle my shit.
- Let's see if you can
handle it today.
- Oh.
- Man, here we go.
- Smells like hamburgers
up in here.
So much beef.
- Hey, guys.
I see you guys are still at it.
- Any of you guys got
hemorrhoid cream?
- Whoa.
- Hemorrhoid cream?
- 'Cause he's butt hurt.
- Oh, boy.
- How long you been
sitting on that?
- Just now. It was good.
- No pun intended.
- What's the deal?
We really want to know, why do
you guys not like each other?
- I was trying to be, like,
a team player.
You know, the whole point of
the thing was men versus women.
It was like men, women,
Cam at one point.
- I was just trying to play
the game.
I'm not here to win
any popularity contests.
I'm not here to kiss ass.
I'm not here to brown-nose.
I came here to do tattoos,
and I came here to do
the best work possible,
and obviously that's not really
all that high on your agenda,
because it shows.
- it shows that I made it
farther than you, dude.
- Whoa, you guys don't stop.
- Well, shit.
- I want some tattoos
to start talking.
- Put your money where
your mouth is, huh?
- Yes!
- There's money involved?
- We're gonna give you guys a
90-minute face-off tattoo
to level the playing field,
and we're gonna pick what you
guys are gonna tattoo.
- 90 minutes doesn't scare me.
- The winner of that 90-minute
face-off
gets to pick the style
or subject
of the six-hour
grudge match tattoo.
- Whoever wins the grudge
match settles this for good.
- Now, this 90-minute tattoo
has to be finished, right?
- Ooh.
- It has to be good, right?
- Oh! [laughing]
- Man.
- We got to figure out what
they're gonna do
for this 90-minute tattoo.
- And they're so passionate,
obviously, about this beef.
We got to think of something
that's gonna evoke
a little emotion, huh?
- Clearly, they can't
agree on anything.
- Nothing.
- And it seems to me
like there's a bunch of knives
getting thrown
in each other's backs.
How's about a dagger?
- Ooh! Appropriate.
- I'll take it.
- So we're gonna do daggers,
any style.
- 90 minutes.
- 90 minutes.
- I'm down with that.
- Seems safe.
- You guys got no time
to waste.
Get to designing.
Let's get to tattooing.
- Got this.
- All right. Good luck, guys.
- This is gonna be good.
- What are you gonna
throw them at?
- The same traditional shit.
I'm sticking with what I got.
You know,
what are you gonna do--
a [bleep] black and gray tattoo
with a female face in it?
- If I could get that done
in 90 minutes,
you're goddamn right I would.
- Got to play
to our strengths.
Mine happens to be good
tattoos,
and, you know, yours
is tattoos.
[dramatic music]
announcer:
In our second grudge,
season 11's self-proclaimed
master illustrator,
Tim Stafford,
butted heads
with the hotheaded technician,
Kyle MacKenzie.
- Mr. Versatility.
- You did new school the
whole [bleep] time.
- No, I didn't.
- Dude, you dropped the ball
on new-school day.
- Here we go.
announcer: Now they'll put
their versatility to the test.
- Show us the versatility
that you say you have at home.
The second you do that,
I'll shut my mouth
- Kyle and Tim.
Kyle was on my team
on season 11,
and Tim was
on Christian's team.
Team Christian
always targeted Kyle
because his tattoos
were so bold, so solid,
and so fundamentally sound
that he did win quite a bit.
Tim puts out there that he's
the best illustrator
and was always bagging on Kyle
for doing traditional tattoos,
but then Tim would always do
new-school tattoos,
but he's a slow tattooer.
- Mr. [bleep] traditional
skull outline.
- What is the challenge, Tim?
Is it traditional?
Is it new-school?
It's doing a [bleep]
galaxy, you idiot.
- All I'm saying is
you're not really showing
much versatility, bro.
- You do [bleep] new-school
every week.
- Dude, I'm one
of the best composers
in this [bleep] house.
I'm like
[bleep] Mozart, bitch.
- You're a [bleep] idiot, dude.
You walk around like your shit
doesn't stink.
- It don't!
- I'm done with him.
- It's just funny, because,
you know,
Kyle can't really do
what Tim does,
and Tim can't really do
what Kyle does,
and the two are angry
at each other
for being good
at what they're bad at.
- Since season 11,
I've opened up
my own private studio.
I feel like my confidence and
my ambition towards the things
that I want to do with my life
has changed.
Really, really cool
to see you here
and seeing all the things
that I've accomplished.
- Dude, I'm so excited
that, like, you've finally got
your own shop.
This has been
a long time coming.
- Yeah, man. I'm just happy.
I'm coming back to give Kyle
a little bit of an ego check.
He says that he's versatile,
but the things that he produces
doesn't show the versatility
that he talks about.
Kyle's in need of a slice
of humble pie,
and I'm here to serve it,
plain and simple.
[rock music]
- Come on.
- Tim calls me
a one-trick pony
just because I put a clean,
bold outline around my tattoos,
and he calls it traditional.
If you come
talking that bullshit,
you got to be ready
to back it up.
One, two, three!
- Yay!
This is fun!
- When I'm around my kids, I'm
a completely different person.
How was school, Elena?
- It was good.
- I love school!
- [laughs]
- Lila loves school.
Going into this grudge match,
I'm keeping
my kids close at heart,
always in the back
of my mind.
I got to stay cool, calm,
and collected,
'cause I'm doing
this for them.
[dramatic music]
- Oh, there's my boy.
- Crazy being back here, man,
going up against this clown.
- Here we go.
- I can't wait to put him
in his [bleep] place.
- He's gonna lose his shit.
- Where is that anger
coming from?
- He is an angry dude.
Oh, here we go.
- Oh.
- Look who it is.
- Look who decided to show up.
- Mr. Versatility.
- He was sitting on a beach
over in the Bahamas.
- You're calling me
"Mr. Versatility"?
- Yeah, because you have
zero versatility.
- Ooh.
- I work
in a street shop, dude.
I do everything that comes
through the [bleep] door.
- So, if you do
so many good things,
how come you didn't bring those
skills to the table?
- I did.
- You brought trad here.
That was it.
- You did new-school
the whole [bleep] time.
- I didn't--
- Dude, you dropped the ball--
- That's not the point.
- He's full of fire.
I'm telling you.
- The fact is, I got further
than you
taking risks, showing
way more versatility...
- I played the game, man.
I just did
what was asked of me.
- My shit was just way more
artistically better...
- That's cool.
- Than yours.
And you got so much
more praise for that shit.
- The challenge is doing
a solid tattoo.
- Let's go break this up
and get these guys
some tattoos to do.
- I do tattoos that look
like tattoos, man.
- New-school
looks like tattoos.
- You can't have new-school
without the old-school, bro.
- Yeah. All right.
All right. All right.
- Oh!
- Quiet down, guys.
Time to put the machines
where the mouth is.
- Yeah, exactly.
- Yeah, it is.
- You guys were at it
like two wild animals.
- I lived with these guys,
so I saw it firsthand.
- I just felt like, yeah,
he can do clean tattoos,
but you got to bring something
unique, something special,
have some [bleep]
artistic ability, man.
- I got rules in my style.
You don't have rules.
So you can do whatever
the [bleep] you want,
and you're just gonna
call it artsy.
- Wow. Wow.
- I'm--you guys.
- It is what it is, man.
- You guys ready
to get into it?
- Yeah. Let's do it.
- Absolutely.
- Right now
we're gonna give you guys
a 90-minute face-off tattoo,
where we pick
what you're gonna be tattooing.
- The winner
of that face-off tattoo
gets to choose the style
or the subject for your
six-hour grudge match tattoo.
- Sounds good.
- Whoever wins the six-hour
grudge match tattoo ends this.
- Are you gonna be
able to finish?
- Why don't you go ahead
and finish your tattoo
fast as [bleep]?
- What should we make them do?
- That's where
I'm up in the air.
- Well, 'cause say we call out
a subject.
He's gonna do it traditional.
He's gonna do it new-school.
I would put the deed
to the ranch on that one.
- It's how you play the game.
- How's about this?
Kyle can do
anything but traditional,
and Tim can do
anything but new-school.
- Instead of giving them their
styles, we're taking them.
- Define "traditional,"
though,
because there's so many
sub-genres.
American traditional?
Neo-traditional?
- If you have to question what
we're gonna think about it,
go the opposite way.
- Got ya.
- We want you guys
to prove to us that you can do
a banging tattoo
in a style
that's obviously not your own.
- Let's do this, man.
- All right.
- Absolutely.
- Get to work.
- And step on the gas.
- No hitting.
- The fact that the judges
actually gave you
this challenge
is the exact same reason
why I brought you here
in the first place.
- I do different shit all day,
every day, man.
I'm a street shop tattooer.
- Show us the versatility that
you say you have at home.
The second you do that,
I shut my mouth.
♪ ♪
- All right, guys.
You ready for a fight?
- Absolutely.
- You guys got 90 minutes
to do dagger tattoos any way
you want.
Your time starts...now.
Get it!
- Let's do it.
- Good luck, guys.
- He's gonna need it.
Boom.
- Perfect, man.
- Get your ass up there.
Let's go.
- Are you good, man?
- Yep.
[tattoo needle buzzing]
- I already know
that my design
is gonna blow Pon's out
of the water.
My tattoo is a very thin,
elegant dagger
with a bee on the hilt.
I want to include
all that soft shading
that I'm known for,
very textured stippling.
It's gonna be a hell of a lot
more impressive
to be pulling those long,
thin lines
than just, like,
a regular fat one.
This is my chance to shine,
really show what I could do.
[dramatic rock music]
♪ ♪
- Half an hour down, guys.
You've got one hour left.
- An hour left? I'm gonna
do another tattoo.
- Don't do that to him.
He doesn't need two
shitty tattoos.
Just stick with the one.
- I hate grudges.
I don't like when people
don't like me
Cam likes to keep reminding me
that I did traditionals
all throughout
our competition,
so I'm picking
a traditional style
so I can whup his ass
with it.
- Look at that.
- It's a little homage to what
brought us here.
So it's gonna be a golden skull
with a dagger going through it,
'cause he says I stabbed him
in the back.
I just wanted to make sure,
like, he remembered
what beat him, you know?
I'm picking
a traditional tattoo
'cause I'm playing it smart.
Cam's ego gets
in his way all the time,
and if Cam's history proves
itself again,
he's gonna shoot
himself in the foot.
♪ ♪
- Sorry.
I have so many of these long,
thin lines within this tattoo,
if this canvas doesn't stop
moving,
these lines are [bleep].
[dramatic rock music]
♪ ♪
- All right, guys.
Ready to duke it out?
- I'm ready, man.
- Tim, got the gloves on?
- Yes, sir.
- Your 90-minute
face-off tattoo
starts right now.
- [bleep], yeah.
Let's do it, man.
That looks [bleep] sick.
- Sweet.
Want to check that
out in the mirror there?
- Hey, Tim, you want to hear
what a real machine
sounds like?
- I can't hear myself think.
- My tattoo is a
neo-traditional skeleton hand
holding an hourglass.
All good?
- All good.
Judges said I couldn't do
American traditional.
They didn't say I couldn't do
neo-traditional.
I got this.
Hey, Tim, step on the gas.
- Step on the gas.
My tattoo's just a simple
illustrative tattoo--
a little cluster of gems
with some leaves.
My style consists of a lot of,
like, bells and whistles,
and those are all the things
that I'm gonna have to take out
in order to pull off this
90-minute tattoo.
- That's probably the fastest
I've ever seen you move.
- I'm working, man.
- And you went home
and did some studying
and some tuning
or what?
- A little bit.
The artistic side of me
is something
that I've always had,
but speed, saturation,
all those things can come
with time,
and I've been working
on that,
and I'm a much faster
tattooer now.
So Kyle better bring it.
I'm not even blinking,
so I'm tearing.
[dramatic rock music]
- 60 minutes left, guys.
60 minutes left.
♪ ♪
You better not be doing
any traditional tats over here.
- No. Doing neo-trad, bro.
- [sighs]
- Neo-traditional is different
from American traditional,
because you're not restricted
to just four colors,
you're not restricted
to just one line weight.
I'm using multiple line
weights, different colors,
and different tricks
of shading and light source
to show that it's not just an
American traditional piece.
- Just like old times
right now.
- Yeah, baby.
- Kyle, you're not supposed
to be doing traditional!
Your drawing
looks traditional.
I mean, there's nothing fancy
or illustrative
about this drawing.
He needs to really step up
his shading game
and really make this thing have
some dimension,
or otherwise, if it looks flat,
it's gonna look traditional.
Get to work, 'cause you only
got 51 minutes left.
♪ ♪
- All right, boys, you better
sharpen up those daggers.
You have 30 minutes left.
That is it.
- My canvas' leg
will not stop twitching.
This dude is kicking up
into the needle,
and it's making it go a little
deeper than it should at times,
and it's fuzzying up some
of these lines.
- Time flies.
- You have no idea.
The only thing I can do
is finish this tattoo
to the best of my abilities.
I'm just happy
that my design
really is that much
better than Pon's.
- You know, the whole time
I was drawing this,
I was, like, a little nervous
about the size.
Now I'm thinking to myself,
"I probably could have went
a little bit bigger."
♪ ♪
- All right. This is it.
Five, four, three, two, one.
That's it.
This face-off is over.
- A little bit of them shaky
legs ain't gonna stop me.
[laughter]
- Very, very good.
- Pretty good? All right.
- Thank you. [chuckles]
- What do you think?
We got a winner?
- That is [bleep] cool.
- I think I won today.
- Why's that?
- Just 'cause I think my
tattoo was a lot cleaner.
- Thing is, I actually tried
to, like, show off
the fact that I can do
something a little more
than the absolute bare bones
necessity of a tattoo.
- The only reason I went with
traditional today
was 'cause you were like,
"Oh, one-trick Pon."
I was like, "You know what?
I'm just gonna beat you
with the one trick
that I got, then."
- So you proved me right
by proving me right.
- Absolutely.
- Congrats.
- What's up, fellas?
- Hey, guys.
- What's up, what's up?
- I'm ready to dig into these.
- When I heard "90-minute
tattoo,"
I was like, "You know
what?
I'm doing a tattoo that
I would do in my shop."
His tattoo was really nice,
but, like, I tried to play
smarter.
- I was into it.
It looks super punched in.
I like the design.
I like the three drips
that are just stagnant
and stuck there stiff, 'cause
I like that type of stuff.
- The only thing that really
kicks me in the ass--
the golden skull--it comes off
more as an orange skull.
- It wasn't a traditional
color to do a skull in.
- Yeah.
- Like, I took a risk with it.
- But your hilt design
in itself was just off.
Like, I understand the style
of traditional,
and you can kind of get away
with being a little wacky,
whatever, but the tattooing has
to be clean, and it wasn't.
You don't even know the flaws
in your own tattoo.
- Well, that's why I'm glad
you're here to show me,
'cause you obviously didn't see
the flaws in your tattoo.
That thing has more haze
than a [bleep] L.A. morning.
That shit was gray as [bleep].
- L.A. is pretty hazy.
[laughter]
- I wasn't obviously happy.
There were some, like, line
work discrepancies.
The canvas--
it's almost like he had
some restless leg syndrome
or something like that,
'cause I'd be in the middle
of a line,
and he would just all of a
sudden decide to kick up
against the needle.
I'll own up to that, but, you
know, it doesn't suck
any less that it happened,
especially here.
- Aside from the blowouts that
you had, I thought it was rad.
I would love to rock that
thing, honestly.
It was delicate. I love
the texture that you put in
to add a little contrast
between the left and the
right-hand side of the dagger.
I love the bee you put in.
It's unexpected.
I love how soft it is compared
to the texture of the dagger.
Overall,
compositionally and design,
the take that you brought to us
is really fresh and cool.
And I loved it.
- Thank you.
- This is a tough one, man.
- I don't think Cam's mistakes
are as noticeable
as the wonky hilt on Pon's.
It's not aesthetically
pleasing when a curve
kind of gets weird
on one side.
I'm going with Cam.
Everything about it I thought
was really, really refreshing.
- Thank you.
And I like that big, wonky,
solid tattoo.
I'm gonna go with Pon.
- Thank you, brother.
- One vote for each, Cleen.
- I should have went first.
- You're the deciding
factor, bud.
- They're both good.
- They're both good.
- But in my eyes,
if you are an artist that uses
these thin lines,
you shouldn't have a blowout.
- Don't let him
peer-pressure you.
- How are we supposed to
convince each other?
- Don't let DJ
peer-pressure you.
Don't let DJ peer-pressure you.
- Don't let the freaking--
don't let that fool you, dude.
- I'm trying. I'm trying.
- Look me in the eyes.
- Okay.
- Don't fall victim to that.
- Okay.
- One vote for each, Cleen.
- I should have went first.
- You're the deciding
factor, bud.
[dramatic music]
- My vote...
is for Pon.
- Thank you.
- I always come down
to application.
- So, Pon, you're the winner
of the face-off.
- It feels great to have
the advantage.
- You get to pick the style
or the subject
for the six-hour
grudge match tattoo,
and that's gonna end it all.
- I don't want to do,
like, a thing
where, like, we can't both put
our best foot forward,
so I'd rather pick a subject
than a style.
- What's it gonna be?
- I say let's bring it back
to what got us here
in the first place,
and let's do sacred hearts.
- It's a tough call,
because do I want the design
that's great on paper
that's not packed?
- You don't want crooked
swords that you can't fix.
- Cam, you do not have what it
takes to be Ink Master.
- It's my favorite subject.
- What better way
to redeem yourself
than on what you went home on?
- Hell, yeah.
Get to it, guys.
- Get to drawing
and get to sleep
and do whatever you got to do
to do some awesome tattoos.
- Absolutely.
- Good luck.
- See you guys tomorrow.
- Thank you.
- Man, oh, man.
- That was hard for you, huh?
- Sacred hearts.
- I wasn't sure what you
were gonna choose.
- I feel like I can't do black
and gray, though.
- Do whatever you got to do.
Like, I said it,
and, like, shit,
do I do a traditional
one, like--
- That's what I'm saying.
- I might have just shot
myself in the foot.
- Do it again.
[laughs]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- 30 minutes, guys.
30 minutes left.
[tattoo needles buzzing]
♪ ♪
- That's a quick-ass hour
and a half, wasn't it?
♪ ♪
- Five, four...
- Oh, my God!
- Three, two, one.
Put 'em down!
- Yes!
- I love it.
- Looks like a sticker.
- That's sick.
- That was a good tattoo.
- I think I got you
on this one.
- I don't know.
Still seems kind of trad-y.
- It's neo-traditional.
- Oh, it's neo-traditional.
Got you.
- Your shit looked
kind of like
a new-school guy did it,
too, though.
- Still think I beat you.
- Hey, guys.
- Let's do this.
- Let's get into this.
90 minutes.
- That was crazy.
- No joke.
- That shit was tough.
I never haul ass like that.
- I do stuff like that
all day, every day.
- Don't you do traditional
tattoos all day, every day?
- Yeah.
- So did you give us
a traditional tattoo,
you think maybe?
- I did not.
I gave you
a neo-traditional tattoo.
- Is it traditional bordering
neo-traditional?
I think so.
I took two different reds,
two different greens,
two different grays.
I added white. I added
different line weights.
- A lot of those colors
are colors
you would have used
in traditional.
So, if you wanted it
to be truly
the opposite
of American traditional,
it could have been as simple as
changing the color palette.
That being said, I can't deny
the quality of the saturation.
I think the design is rad.
- I did a clean, solid tattoo.
- I think it was actually
a really good tattoo.
I just think it was way more
traditional
- than he thinks it's not.
- As was yours.
Yours looked
pretty new-school, man--
color bursts,
bright, vibrant colors,
like, the way you did the rope
and the crystals.
Everything's kind of
exaggerated, in a sense.
- I wouldn't
necessarily say so.
- I really like Tim's drawing.
Is it new-school? Nah.
It's not new-school.
I mean, some things fall
really flat.
You took a lot of your tricks
that really make things 3D,
you kind of reeled that back
a little bit.
This thing
is buttery solid, man.
- Thanks, man.
- I mean, it's crispy clean.
Your outlines
are pretty much flawless.
To pull out that tattoo,
90 minutes, my vote's for Tim.
- Thanks, man. Appreciate it.
- Kyle, if you would have
pulled out
a couple more tricks,
it would have tricked our eyes
a little bit more and showed us
some other things
that you can do.
- My vote is for Tim.
- Thanks. Appreciate it.
- My vote's for Tim.
- Tim, that means you won
the face-off tattoo, dude.
You get to pick
the style or subject
for tomorrow's six-hour
grudge match tattoo.
Think hard.
- Mm, okay.
- What are you gonna pick,
man?
- I'd like to beat him
with what I do best at what he
does best, if that makes sense.
Let's go with subject.
- What's it gonna be?
There's a lot of subjects.
- Yeah, there is a lot
of subjects.
♪ ♪
Let's do bulldogs.
- Oh, tomorrow's gonna be the
best day ever of "Ink Master"!
Ever!
- You are so happy, dude.
- I am pumped.
- Man.
- I love it.
- Where did that come from?
- I think about characters
all the time,
so why can't I think
of a bulldog?
- That's dope.
- I was, like, about to say,
like, is that not cool?
- I mean, we're into that shit.
- Yeah.
- I'm super down.
- That's awesome.
- Get to work.
We want to see some awesome
tattoos tomorrow, guys.
- Cool.
- [bleep], yeah, man.
- Good job, guys.
both: Good luck.
- It's gonna be a dogfight,
I'll tell you that.
- Clearly, you failed at
the versatility part of this,
so I'm giving you
the opportunity
to actually beat me
at any way you want.
Bring on your best.
D That's what I'm here
to do, baby,
and I expect you to do
the same.
Let's put an end to this.
♪ ♪
- All right, Kyle, Tim,
you guys have bulldog tattoos.
I'm very excited about this.
Are you ready?
- Oh, I'm ready.
- Are you ready?
- You know I am.
- Let's tattoo!
♪ ♪
- Oh!
- Just stand
nice and straight for me.
Sweet.
Good luck, Tim.
You're gonna need it.
All right, get ready.
♪ ♪
- Tim called bulldogs.
I love bulldogs!
Obviously, bulldogs have
a distinct look.
If you make the nose too long,
well, guess what.
That ain't a bulldog.
Don't put wrinkles in it?
Guess what.
Bulldogs have wrinkles!
This is probably
the most exciting day
ever on "Ink Master," period.
♪ ♪
- I am confident in my design,
but after losing
that 90-minute tattoo,
I'm feeling super anxious
and kind of doubtful
in my own skills.
- Just from the looks of it,
it looks like you went home
and made some changes
to your tattooing--
a little more neo-trad,
way fancier than anything
I've ever seen you do.
- They keep saying
I'm a one-trick pony, so...
Tim talks down to me
because I'm a traditional guy.
He acts
like I'm not an artist,
but I am an artist.
I've been an artist
since birth, man.
I'm ready to take
this win home.
Praying to Baby Jesus
over there?
- Yeah, a little bit, for you.
- Tim, you're going
[bleep] down.
♪ ♪
- All right, Cam, Pon,
you guys have six hours
to make these hearts beat.
Are you ready?
- Absolutely.
- Are you ready?
Let's tattoo!
- You want to hop up and get
the stencil on over here?
- I picked the subject matter
because I want to make sure
that we have
a level playing field.
I want Cam to have
no more excuses
so he can stop
his shit-talking.
I want him to be able to do
his style,
and I'll do my style,
and may the better man win.
Ain't nothing to it
but to do it.
♪ ♪
- Pon's playing a total mind
game right now.
Cam went home
on a sacred heart.
If he loses this,
this guy's never gonna be able
to sleep again.
He'll never live it down.
[tattoo needle buzzing]
I didn't see
your last sacred heart.
Is this similar
or different or...?
- Oh, it's, like,
totally different.
This time, I was just like,
"[bleep] it.
I want to do something that
I think is cool, win or lose."
I really want to mix up
a couple styles
within this design.
The flame and the blood drops
are a lot more traditional.
The thorns are
pretty illustrative,
but I'm using a realistic
anatomical heart.
- Cam, you doing okay
over there, bud?
- Better than you.
- Wow!
My design is gonna blow
Pon's out of the water.
This is the one that's finally
gonna put that little [bleep]
in his place.
[rock music]
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- So it's a sacred apple?
- Yeah. It's a sacred heart
apple, New York style.
I'm gonna do a new-school
sacred heart
New-York-themed mash-up.
So it's gonna be more
of a parody of a sacred heart.
I'm gonna use an apple
to replace the heart,
and instead of a crown of
thorns, I'm gonna use a worm,
and where the fire would be
on the tattoo,
I'm gonna use
a Statue of Liberty torch.
- What made you decide
new-school?
- Just 'cause he called me
one-trick Pon.
I want to show
that I can beat him
with more than just
a traditional style,
'cause he's doing some black
and gray bullshit.
This kid literally did black
and gray
the entire competition.
Doing black and gray, Cam?
- Exactly.
- Pretty much expected
exactly that style.
Ha ha! It worked.
I got you, man.
I can't wait to knock Cam
off his pedestal
and whup his ass again.
♪ ♪
- All right, guys,
we are halfway through these
bulldog tattoos.
Three hours remain, guys.
♪ ♪
[tattoo needle buzzing]
- Because I love expressive
and emotionally driven tattoos,
I like creating mood,
and oftentimes, mood's created
through single tones.
Pretty happy with that.
I'm gonna do a simpler
palette--mostly purples--
and it's gonna look pretty
one-tone-ish.
I don't know if that's going
to go against me,
but I feel like it's what
this piece needs.
- So did you grow up,
you know, drawing as a kid
and illustrating?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah?
- Absolutely.
Everyone in my family says
it's my first girlfriend,
is just the fact that I've
always just been in love
with art my whole life--
since I was, like, four.
Even though I'm doing my style,
I'm still gonna take a risk
and do something that you
haven't seen before
and show some versatility,
even for me.
♪ ♪
- All right, guys.
This is the final hour.
Only one hour remains.
♪ ♪
- These guys--
I don't know what's going on
with their color theory.
- What happened
to Tim's tattoo?
- Purple in the mouth,
purple in the background,
purple bow--
I mean, he's got
16 different shades of purple.
But that outline is so clean.
- Kyle's tattoo looked great
to me in terms of cleanliness,
but the pipe is the same color
as the dog.
Everything is all
the same color and patterns.
What is what?
- Right now, nobody's knocking
anybody out.
It's still anybody's game.
♪ ♪
- Five, four,
three, two, one.
That's it.
This grudge match is over.
- Beautiful.
It came out really good--
the colors and everything.
- Yeah. He's a good boy.
- [chuckles]
- Aw, shit!
- I think it's awesome.
I love it.
Thank you so much.
- You're very, very welcome.
- Thanks for throwing me
a bone today, bro.
- Apparently if it wasn't
for my creativity,
you wouldn't have been able
to pull it off at all.
- Is adding
a giant purple bruise
behind your tattoo creativity?
- It's not a bruise.
It's actually just purple.
You wouldn't know much
about colors
if you had, like, explored
more than just five.
- I used at least 16 today.
- At least 16
in your traditional tattoo?
- You can't tell me my design
wasn't solid as [bleep].
- Both the tattoos may have
been solid, but yet again,
I still think mine
was way more creative.
May the better artist win.
- Well, I think
the main difference
between these two guys
is that Tim considers himself
an artist first
and a tattooer second,
and Kyle, I think,
is the complete opposite.
He puts tattooing first,
fundamentals first.
- Is it such a bad thing
if you can nail that perfectly?
I mean...
- That's the debate, though.
Tattooing is tattooing,
so no matter what, I don't care
how good your drawing is,
if it's tattooed poorly,
it's still crap.
- Hey, guys.
- What up?
- What's up?
- Let's get into it.
- Yeah, let's do it.
- Where do we go first--
old-school or new-school?
- Let's take it back
to the old school.
- Let's go to Kyle.
- All right, Kyle.
I love this design.
It's super strong, so bold.
Your lines are super solid,
punched in.
- I liked how you actually
used some finer lines.
Your layout on this--just
everything worked really well.
- But honestly,
the color up against color
was the main issue that I had.
I didn't like how the baby blue
that you used to shade the
little sailor hat is right up
against the baby blue-gray
of the cloud.
- I mean, I did use two
different inks.
- In the skin, they look
so similar, though.
- I noticed the same thing
in Tim's.
There was way too much
purple going on.
- You kind of have
the same thing,
where it's just, like,
browns and warm tones.
I mean, it's a wooden pipe,
brown dog, black muzzle.
Like, brown on brown.
- Where did I do
brown on brown?
- In the pipe,
in the muzzle.
- No, those are two
different tones,
and they're separated
with white highlights...
- Well, guess what, babe.
They look exactly the same.
- You can't say that I'm not
separating my shit--
- I'm saying it.
You left no negative skin break
on your hat.
It blends right in--
- What are you talking about?
The whole hat is skin tone.
- The whole hat
is the same color
as the clouds next to it.
- There's lines, and there's
different tones of ink.
- Well, obviously,
they say, you know,
you can't teach
an old dog new tricks.
Kyle, you brought in
some solid fundamentals,
whereas, Tim,
your design choices,
your illustrating is out
of this world on this tattoo.
This dog had a whole story,
a personality.
It's a character,
and it takes so much talent
to be able to invoke
that sort of feeling
from just one illustration.
- You do got a ton
of clean lines in this thing.
When you got it, you got it.
When it comes to some
of the color saturation,
it gets a bit away from you.
In the dark parts of the mouth
where you got the purple,
it just looks
a little muddy to me.
- I'm not a huge fan
of all the purple.
I feel like
you would have benefitted
by switching that up.
- I didn't want to color bomb
it, just because, I mean,
I know that's definitely,
like, a classic thing.
- Yeah, but that's new-school.
That's the thing.
- That is the thing,
but I'm more so
into, like, emotions
and creating mood.
- I like that you carried the
same colors throughout things.
It was just maybe the choices
of where you put them.
- Overall, just looking
at the cuteness
of this little girl bulldog
with the bow in her hair
and holding on to the bone
for dear life is awesome.
- Side by side, if you put
both of those tattoos together,
I didn't see a single ounce
of black in any of his tattoo
except for the outline.
Well, I mean, fair, but he
just used a traditional rule
and applied it to my style.
- No. Every tattoo needs black.
It's what gives
everything contrast.
- I agree, it's lacking
a little black,
but he separated
his elements so perfectly
that there's never gonna be
confusion as to what is what.
- There is confusion because
there's so much purple in it.
It's all blending together.
- It comes down to,
what do you value more--
a super-creative tattoo
that has more technical flaws
or a super
technically solid tattoo
that has more design flaws?
Me, personally, before I'm
a tattooer, I am an artist,
and I do value those things,
and that's why my vote
is for Tim.
- Thank you.
- Well, everybody
has an opinion
on what they think is art.
There's plenty of people that
buy some expensive [bleep] art
that I think looks like shit.
With that being said,
this is a tattoo contest.
I'm gonna have to go
with Kyle on this one
'cause his tattoo
is pretty damn bulletproof.
♪ ♪
- What do you think, DJ?
♪ ♪
- [sighs, blows raspberry]
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- What do you think, DJ?
- [sighs, blows raspberry]
Both of you guys, from the
drawing table to the tattoo,
just killed it.
I mean, Tim's--I have a huge
love for new-school.
But I love that traditional
solid shit all day.
Man.
My vote's for Kyle.
- Awesome.
- Congratulations, dude.
That means you won
the grudge match.
[rock music]
- I hope this settles it, man.
- Yes, it does.
- You're still a [bleep]
solid tattooer, man.
- Thanks, man. Appreciate it.
- You have my respect.
- Even though I ended up
losing, along the way,
Kyle admitted the fact
that he is a one-trick pony,
and he's very happy with that,
so does that make him a winner?
- Thanks for coming.
- See you guys later.
- All right. Come here.
- Good job, guys.
- [groans]
I love you, Whoopi Goldberg.
- Oh, shut up, dumb ass.
[laughter]
♪ ♪
- You guys got one hour left.
One hour.
♪ ♪
- I think
they're both putting in good,
clean, pretty solid tattoos,
but Cam's line work is way
better today than Pon's is.
- Yeah.
- Which was the opposite
of yesterday.
- Honestly, I like Cam's more
than I like Pon's design.
- Uh-uh. I mean, I think doing
a sacred fruit
is a great take
on a sacred heart, no?
- I get where he's going.
He's trying to make a story.
Yeah. You can still tell
a story,
but things have to be,
like, recognizable.
♪ ♪
- You almost done?
- No. I'm gonna use
all six hours.
- This is fun, but at least
I'll go home a winner.
- The biggest prize is I never
got to see you again.
Sha-boom.
♪ ♪
- All right, guys.
It's down to the wire.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Put them things down.
- I think this is a winner.
- Awesome. I love it.
- So what do you think?
Do I stand a chance?
Oh, yeah, that's bad-ass.
I love that.
- How you feeling
about your tat?
- I like my tattoo.
I would have never had
the balls
to do an apple
on sacred heart day.
- It's a sacred heart.
- Sacred apple.
- Regardless, it's over.
I don't have to hear
any more bitching on your end.
- My problem was never
with tattooing.
It's just, like,
literally always
this, like, condescending,
super weasel-y-ass attitude
you have towards me,
where you would bitch and moan
behind my back.
Like a high-school girl,
you, like, gossiped.
- Dude, you shit all over me
in front of people.
I'd rather attack you
where it matters--here.
And it can just all get
settled.
- At least we can agree
on that.
- These guys' styles
are completely different.
- Oh, yeah, and both of them
talk some shit.
- They're almost, like,
bickering to see who's alpha.
You know what I mean?
- Yeah. 100%.
- They're flexing, they're
strutting their stuff...
- Both of them
are beating their chest,
trying to say that...
- Totally.
- You know, "I'm the shit"...
- But somehow they managed
to do all that shit-talking
and pull off
two great tattoos today.
- Oh, yeah.
- You guys have been taking
jabs at each other
this whole entire time,
and we're here to end it.
One of you guys
is walking away
from this grudge match
a winner.
- Sweet.
- Absolutely.
Let's do it.
- Pon, I love
that you're a storyteller.
It's few and far between
artists can tell a whole story
with the picture
and really put thought
into every single piece.
- What if there's sometimes
too much story
behind something and it could
cloud someone's judgment
of what something even is?
- Let me ask you a question--
when you looked at it,
you didn't say,
"It was an apple with a worm."
You said, "Oh, that's
a cool sacred apple."
But if someone that didn't
even hear the challenge--
just walk up
on that tattoo, right?
It's a cool apple
with a worm and a flame.
You don't click and say,
"Sacred heart."
For the challenge, it might
have missed it a little.
- I think it meets
the challenge.
I love the bite taken
out of the bottom of the apple
and how you did the trick
that makes it look
like the skin of the apple
is really thick.
I love the dimension you got
in such a simple, small area,
The tattooing that you did...
- Solid.
- Was super solid,
which is why
it's so difficult today,
because, Cam, the tattoo
you did was also super solid.
- Dude, you had
an awesome drawing.
I love the mash-up of styles.
I like the dot work
you put in the flame.
You switch up textures
all around this thing.
You used different tricks,
and it really shows.
- Some of the grays
get a little tonal.
You have almost the same gray
on the inside
because you don't have
that dark black
to separate
the whole thing.
So, from a distance,
it's really hard to tell
what's going on.
- I was trying to be
super sparing,
because in my earlier career,
I would, like, black
way too much.
- I don't want to bash
his tattoo.
The only thing I think
is, like, there was
some scratchiness in the middle
that I really didn't like.
- You know,
I definitely tried to keep,
like, the aspects of what
I think are in a sacred heart.
He obviously knows
how to [bleep] tattoo,
but it's just, like, the flame,
you know?
It looked like
one cardboard orange,
and then behind it was
that one little--
and they were
just, like, flat.
It almost seems
like he started,
and he was like,
"Yes, yes, yes!"
And he just...
[blows raspberry]
As soon as he
got to the top.
- This dude just went on
for, like, 45 minutes.
I don't even know what
he was saying.
- These are two great tattoos.
- Yeah.
- It's a hard decision.
- How many push-ups
can you guys do?
- Let's go.
- I'll take that. That's fine.
- Don't sell me short.
- I love black and gray.
It's my thing.
I'm not going that way today.
My vote is for Pon.
It looked like a sticker.
It was unexpected.
I think you did a great job.
[sighs] Like, there's
good qualities about both.
I like Cam's design.
I like the overall cleanliness
of it.
My vote's for Cam.
- Thank you.
Who's it gonna be, Cleen?
- [sighs]
It's tough, you know?
They're both two great tattoos.
♪ ♪
I'm gonna choose Pon.
- [chuckles]
Just because Cam's,
from across the room,
it's hard to tell what it is.
- Congrats, Pon.
You just won the grudge match.
[rock music]
♪ ♪
At the end of the day,
our grudge was never
about tattooing.
It was just personality.
He's a talented tattooer,
and I thought
this was an awesome day.
- You know, I got to be able
to do a tattoo
that I was pumped on,
and I'll take that, you know?
That's a win for me.
- You did good, man.
- You guys both did killer.
- It's probably for the best
that Pon "won"
this grudge match.
I genuinely think
his fragile self-esteem
couldn't handle losing to me.
- I love this guy.
- It's all good, man.
- I always got his back.
- All right.
- Well, go do
some more cool tattoos.
- I always got your
back, brother.
- No, we're good.
- [chuckles]
- That didn't end shit,
[bleep].
- [laughs]
In 12 jaw-dropping seasons
of "Ink Master,"
we've witnessed
amazing artistry...
- Shut the [bleep] up!
announcer: Insane rivalries...
and wild personalities.
- Any [bleep] camera
follows me, I swear to God.
I don't give a [bleep].
I will break that
mother[bleep].
announcer: Now three iconic
"Ink Master" champions--
Ryan Ashley, DJ Tambe...
[cheers and applause]
And Cleen Rock One--
have risen to judge status,
deciding grudges
between some
of the competition's
most furious rivals.
- We gonna hash it out
like grown men,
or you gonna get
in my face again?
- Let's tattoo!
announcer: These foes
will have the opportunity
to settle the score
once and for all.
- I can be in your face
- I can be in your face, too.
- Guys, guys, guys.
- We can do it all day.
- I don't think
that grudge is over.
I think it just got worse.
announcer: Tonight two epic
feuds will come to a head.
It's a battle of styles
and egos...
and the grudges
will be settled now.
[dramatic music]
In our first grudge match,
season 12's lone wolf,
Cam Pohl,
was stabbed in the back by the
traditional specialist Pon.
- If it isn't the old
one-trick Pon.
You ready to finally nut up
or shut up?
announcer: Now these masters
of their own styles
will clash once again.
- I think the biggest prize is
I never got to see you again.
Sha-boom.
- All right, so we have Cam
and Pon today, guys,
from "Battle of the Sexes."
- I feel like they both have
very strong personality.
- Yeah. That's one
way to put it.
- Two totally different
strong personalities.
- Exactly.
- From the very beginning,
these two had some issues
butting heads.
- Pon wanted to be
a team player,
and Cam, right off the gate,
was like,
"Forget this team shit."
- Right. Right.
- "I'm here to win."
- I speak what's on my mind,
and I immediately get dismissed
as being this piece of shit.
- Sometimes you say things
that make me cringe,
but 'cause he's on my team,
I'm gonna defend him.
- This whole "team" bullshit
doesn't exist.
- I'm sick and tired of you.
I've tried to be nice.
Go [bleep] yourself.
- You know Pon was trying to
screw you over.
He knows that you would kill
that [bleep] mandala tattoo.
- On the surface, I think
we're like,
"Yeah, man, we're cool,"
but it's just like...
[blows raspberry]
- All of these artists
are coming in
with a grudge
against each other
about how they played the game,
so this is the best way to
settle it--tattoo for tattoo.
- Straight up.
- Face-to-face, honestly.
- 100%.
- Pon is honestly one
of the most self-righteous
people I've ever met.
Short-tempered,
he thinks he knows everything,
and he's just absolute garbage
to be around.
Like that? You can't even see
it behind it.
It, like, eclipses it.
- It's here.
- [laughing]
Don't hit me.
Out of anyone
in that competition,
going head-to-head against Pon
is gonna be a dream come true
because I would love
to shut him up.
- I think Cam's ego right now
is really bruised.
He thought
he was gonna make it
all the way to the end
of the competition,
but the fact that he got
eliminated before me
I think really upsets him.
What is that?
It looks like one
of Cam's tattoos.
- Stop!
- Yeah, we don't want to do
any of those, right?
Cam is a sore loser.
When he is upset,
you can see it on his face,
and I can't wait to see
that face again.
[exhales deeply]
- Oh, look at this guy.
- Here he comes.
- [exhales sharply]
Got, like,
PTSD right now.
- Handsome man.
- Ready for a cocktail
and a tattoo.
- Whoo-whoo!
- Yeah.
- I can't wait to see what Cam
has his butt hurt about.
- If it isn't the old
one-trick Pon.
You ready to finally nut up
or shut up,
or you just gonna keep it up
with the passive-aggressive
shit this time?
- Ooh!
- [gasps]
- I don't know what I did that
got you so butt hurt, but...
- The entire season,
constantly it was like,
"Oh, he doesn't even have
any talent.
He shouldn't even be here. He
[bleep] only does one thing."
It's like, you're telling me
I only do one thing?
- If Cam got to challenge
everyone he had a grudge with,
it would be
a group challenge for Cam.
- You know, you say that I was
this lone wolf,
didn't want anything to do
with the team.
You were a huge part of that.
- I know you're kind of butt
hurt that I gave you
the sacred heart over the
geometric mandala thing.
I could have sworn I handed you
a home run tattoo,
and you went home on it,
so, like, I'm like,
"I don't know what he's mad
at me about."
- You're pretending to play
this whole, like,
"Oh, I'm watching out
for you, man."
It's like, you watched out for
me by giving me something
that obviously ended up [bleep]
biting me in the butt
rather than doing something
that I would clearly knock
out of the park.
I'm not gonna lie.
I [bleep] hated you.
- I feel like he's just
gonna punch Pon.
- All right, let's go.
I heard enough. Let's go.
- Yeah, man.
- It's hard to save someone
who doesn't want to be saved.
- I can handle my shit.
- Let's see if you can
handle it today.
- Oh.
- Man, here we go.
- Smells like hamburgers
up in here.
So much beef.
- Hey, guys.
I see you guys are still at it.
- Any of you guys got
hemorrhoid cream?
- Whoa.
- Hemorrhoid cream?
- 'Cause he's butt hurt.
- Oh, boy.
- How long you been
sitting on that?
- Just now. It was good.
- No pun intended.
- What's the deal?
We really want to know, why do
you guys not like each other?
- I was trying to be, like,
a team player.
You know, the whole point of
the thing was men versus women.
It was like men, women,
Cam at one point.
- I was just trying to play
the game.
I'm not here to win
any popularity contests.
I'm not here to kiss ass.
I'm not here to brown-nose.
I came here to do tattoos,
and I came here to do
the best work possible,
and obviously that's not really
all that high on your agenda,
because it shows.
- it shows that I made it
farther than you, dude.
- Whoa, you guys don't stop.
- Well, shit.
- I want some tattoos
to start talking.
- Put your money where
your mouth is, huh?
- Yes!
- There's money involved?
- We're gonna give you guys a
90-minute face-off tattoo
to level the playing field,
and we're gonna pick what you
guys are gonna tattoo.
- 90 minutes doesn't scare me.
- The winner of that 90-minute
face-off
gets to pick the style
or subject
of the six-hour
grudge match tattoo.
- Whoever wins the grudge
match settles this for good.
- Now, this 90-minute tattoo
has to be finished, right?
- Ooh.
- It has to be good, right?
- Oh! [laughing]
- Man.
- We got to figure out what
they're gonna do
for this 90-minute tattoo.
- And they're so passionate,
obviously, about this beef.
We got to think of something
that's gonna evoke
a little emotion, huh?
- Clearly, they can't
agree on anything.
- Nothing.
- And it seems to me
like there's a bunch of knives
getting thrown
in each other's backs.
How's about a dagger?
- Ooh! Appropriate.
- I'll take it.
- So we're gonna do daggers,
any style.
- 90 minutes.
- 90 minutes.
- I'm down with that.
- Seems safe.
- You guys got no time
to waste.
Get to designing.
Let's get to tattooing.
- Got this.
- All right. Good luck, guys.
- This is gonna be good.
- What are you gonna
throw them at?
- The same traditional shit.
I'm sticking with what I got.
You know,
what are you gonna do--
a [bleep] black and gray tattoo
with a female face in it?
- If I could get that done
in 90 minutes,
you're goddamn right I would.
- Got to play
to our strengths.
Mine happens to be good
tattoos,
and, you know, yours
is tattoos.
[dramatic music]
announcer:
In our second grudge,
season 11's self-proclaimed
master illustrator,
Tim Stafford,
butted heads
with the hotheaded technician,
Kyle MacKenzie.
- Mr. Versatility.
- You did new school the
whole [bleep] time.
- No, I didn't.
- Dude, you dropped the ball
on new-school day.
- Here we go.
announcer: Now they'll put
their versatility to the test.
- Show us the versatility
that you say you have at home.
The second you do that,
I'll shut my mouth
- Kyle and Tim.
Kyle was on my team
on season 11,
and Tim was
on Christian's team.
Team Christian
always targeted Kyle
because his tattoos
were so bold, so solid,
and so fundamentally sound
that he did win quite a bit.
Tim puts out there that he's
the best illustrator
and was always bagging on Kyle
for doing traditional tattoos,
but then Tim would always do
new-school tattoos,
but he's a slow tattooer.
- Mr. [bleep] traditional
skull outline.
- What is the challenge, Tim?
Is it traditional?
Is it new-school?
It's doing a [bleep]
galaxy, you idiot.
- All I'm saying is
you're not really showing
much versatility, bro.
- You do [bleep] new-school
every week.
- Dude, I'm one
of the best composers
in this [bleep] house.
I'm like
[bleep] Mozart, bitch.
- You're a [bleep] idiot, dude.
You walk around like your shit
doesn't stink.
- It don't!
- I'm done with him.
- It's just funny, because,
you know,
Kyle can't really do
what Tim does,
and Tim can't really do
what Kyle does,
and the two are angry
at each other
for being good
at what they're bad at.
- Since season 11,
I've opened up
my own private studio.
I feel like my confidence and
my ambition towards the things
that I want to do with my life
has changed.
Really, really cool
to see you here
and seeing all the things
that I've accomplished.
- Dude, I'm so excited
that, like, you've finally got
your own shop.
This has been
a long time coming.
- Yeah, man. I'm just happy.
I'm coming back to give Kyle
a little bit of an ego check.
He says that he's versatile,
but the things that he produces
doesn't show the versatility
that he talks about.
Kyle's in need of a slice
of humble pie,
and I'm here to serve it,
plain and simple.
[rock music]
- Come on.
- Tim calls me
a one-trick pony
just because I put a clean,
bold outline around my tattoos,
and he calls it traditional.
If you come
talking that bullshit,
you got to be ready
to back it up.
One, two, three!
- Yay!
This is fun!
- When I'm around my kids, I'm
a completely different person.
How was school, Elena?
- It was good.
- I love school!
- [laughs]
- Lila loves school.
Going into this grudge match,
I'm keeping
my kids close at heart,
always in the back
of my mind.
I got to stay cool, calm,
and collected,
'cause I'm doing
this for them.
[dramatic music]
- Oh, there's my boy.
- Crazy being back here, man,
going up against this clown.
- Here we go.
- I can't wait to put him
in his [bleep] place.
- He's gonna lose his shit.
- Where is that anger
coming from?
- He is an angry dude.
Oh, here we go.
- Oh.
- Look who it is.
- Look who decided to show up.
- Mr. Versatility.
- He was sitting on a beach
over in the Bahamas.
- You're calling me
"Mr. Versatility"?
- Yeah, because you have
zero versatility.
- Ooh.
- I work
in a street shop, dude.
I do everything that comes
through the [bleep] door.
- So, if you do
so many good things,
how come you didn't bring those
skills to the table?
- I did.
- You brought trad here.
That was it.
- You did new-school
the whole [bleep] time.
- I didn't--
- Dude, you dropped the ball--
- That's not the point.
- He's full of fire.
I'm telling you.
- The fact is, I got further
than you
taking risks, showing
way more versatility...
- I played the game, man.
I just did
what was asked of me.
- My shit was just way more
artistically better...
- That's cool.
- Than yours.
And you got so much
more praise for that shit.
- The challenge is doing
a solid tattoo.
- Let's go break this up
and get these guys
some tattoos to do.
- I do tattoos that look
like tattoos, man.
- New-school
looks like tattoos.
- You can't have new-school
without the old-school, bro.
- Yeah. All right.
All right. All right.
- Oh!
- Quiet down, guys.
Time to put the machines
where the mouth is.
- Yeah, exactly.
- Yeah, it is.
- You guys were at it
like two wild animals.
- I lived with these guys,
so I saw it firsthand.
- I just felt like, yeah,
he can do clean tattoos,
but you got to bring something
unique, something special,
have some [bleep]
artistic ability, man.
- I got rules in my style.
You don't have rules.
So you can do whatever
the [bleep] you want,
and you're just gonna
call it artsy.
- Wow. Wow.
- I'm--you guys.
- It is what it is, man.
- You guys ready
to get into it?
- Yeah. Let's do it.
- Absolutely.
- Right now
we're gonna give you guys
a 90-minute face-off tattoo,
where we pick
what you're gonna be tattooing.
- The winner
of that face-off tattoo
gets to choose the style
or the subject for your
six-hour grudge match tattoo.
- Sounds good.
- Whoever wins the six-hour
grudge match tattoo ends this.
- Are you gonna be
able to finish?
- Why don't you go ahead
and finish your tattoo
fast as [bleep]?
- What should we make them do?
- That's where
I'm up in the air.
- Well, 'cause say we call out
a subject.
He's gonna do it traditional.
He's gonna do it new-school.
I would put the deed
to the ranch on that one.
- It's how you play the game.
- How's about this?
Kyle can do
anything but traditional,
and Tim can do
anything but new-school.
- Instead of giving them their
styles, we're taking them.
- Define "traditional,"
though,
because there's so many
sub-genres.
American traditional?
Neo-traditional?
- If you have to question what
we're gonna think about it,
go the opposite way.
- Got ya.
- We want you guys
to prove to us that you can do
a banging tattoo
in a style
that's obviously not your own.
- Let's do this, man.
- All right.
- Absolutely.
- Get to work.
- And step on the gas.
- No hitting.
- The fact that the judges
actually gave you
this challenge
is the exact same reason
why I brought you here
in the first place.
- I do different shit all day,
every day, man.
I'm a street shop tattooer.
- Show us the versatility that
you say you have at home.
The second you do that,
I shut my mouth.
♪ ♪
- All right, guys.
You ready for a fight?
- Absolutely.
- You guys got 90 minutes
to do dagger tattoos any way
you want.
Your time starts...now.
Get it!
- Let's do it.
- Good luck, guys.
- He's gonna need it.
Boom.
- Perfect, man.
- Get your ass up there.
Let's go.
- Are you good, man?
- Yep.
[tattoo needle buzzing]
- I already know
that my design
is gonna blow Pon's out
of the water.
My tattoo is a very thin,
elegant dagger
with a bee on the hilt.
I want to include
all that soft shading
that I'm known for,
very textured stippling.
It's gonna be a hell of a lot
more impressive
to be pulling those long,
thin lines
than just, like,
a regular fat one.
This is my chance to shine,
really show what I could do.
[dramatic rock music]
♪ ♪
- Half an hour down, guys.
You've got one hour left.
- An hour left? I'm gonna
do another tattoo.
- Don't do that to him.
He doesn't need two
shitty tattoos.
Just stick with the one.
- I hate grudges.
I don't like when people
don't like me
Cam likes to keep reminding me
that I did traditionals
all throughout
our competition,
so I'm picking
a traditional style
so I can whup his ass
with it.
- Look at that.
- It's a little homage to what
brought us here.
So it's gonna be a golden skull
with a dagger going through it,
'cause he says I stabbed him
in the back.
I just wanted to make sure,
like, he remembered
what beat him, you know?
I'm picking
a traditional tattoo
'cause I'm playing it smart.
Cam's ego gets
in his way all the time,
and if Cam's history proves
itself again,
he's gonna shoot
himself in the foot.
♪ ♪
- Sorry.
I have so many of these long,
thin lines within this tattoo,
if this canvas doesn't stop
moving,
these lines are [bleep].
[dramatic rock music]
♪ ♪
- All right, guys.
Ready to duke it out?
- I'm ready, man.
- Tim, got the gloves on?
- Yes, sir.
- Your 90-minute
face-off tattoo
starts right now.
- [bleep], yeah.
Let's do it, man.
That looks [bleep] sick.
- Sweet.
Want to check that
out in the mirror there?
- Hey, Tim, you want to hear
what a real machine
sounds like?
- I can't hear myself think.
- My tattoo is a
neo-traditional skeleton hand
holding an hourglass.
All good?
- All good.
Judges said I couldn't do
American traditional.
They didn't say I couldn't do
neo-traditional.
I got this.
Hey, Tim, step on the gas.
- Step on the gas.
My tattoo's just a simple
illustrative tattoo--
a little cluster of gems
with some leaves.
My style consists of a lot of,
like, bells and whistles,
and those are all the things
that I'm gonna have to take out
in order to pull off this
90-minute tattoo.
- That's probably the fastest
I've ever seen you move.
- I'm working, man.
- And you went home
and did some studying
and some tuning
or what?
- A little bit.
The artistic side of me
is something
that I've always had,
but speed, saturation,
all those things can come
with time,
and I've been working
on that,
and I'm a much faster
tattooer now.
So Kyle better bring it.
I'm not even blinking,
so I'm tearing.
[dramatic rock music]
- 60 minutes left, guys.
60 minutes left.
♪ ♪
You better not be doing
any traditional tats over here.
- No. Doing neo-trad, bro.
- [sighs]
- Neo-traditional is different
from American traditional,
because you're not restricted
to just four colors,
you're not restricted
to just one line weight.
I'm using multiple line
weights, different colors,
and different tricks
of shading and light source
to show that it's not just an
American traditional piece.
- Just like old times
right now.
- Yeah, baby.
- Kyle, you're not supposed
to be doing traditional!
Your drawing
looks traditional.
I mean, there's nothing fancy
or illustrative
about this drawing.
He needs to really step up
his shading game
and really make this thing have
some dimension,
or otherwise, if it looks flat,
it's gonna look traditional.
Get to work, 'cause you only
got 51 minutes left.
♪ ♪
- All right, boys, you better
sharpen up those daggers.
You have 30 minutes left.
That is it.
- My canvas' leg
will not stop twitching.
This dude is kicking up
into the needle,
and it's making it go a little
deeper than it should at times,
and it's fuzzying up some
of these lines.
- Time flies.
- You have no idea.
The only thing I can do
is finish this tattoo
to the best of my abilities.
I'm just happy
that my design
really is that much
better than Pon's.
- You know, the whole time
I was drawing this,
I was, like, a little nervous
about the size.
Now I'm thinking to myself,
"I probably could have went
a little bit bigger."
♪ ♪
- All right. This is it.
Five, four, three, two, one.
That's it.
This face-off is over.
- A little bit of them shaky
legs ain't gonna stop me.
[laughter]
- Very, very good.
- Pretty good? All right.
- Thank you. [chuckles]
- What do you think?
We got a winner?
- That is [bleep] cool.
- I think I won today.
- Why's that?
- Just 'cause I think my
tattoo was a lot cleaner.
- Thing is, I actually tried
to, like, show off
the fact that I can do
something a little more
than the absolute bare bones
necessity of a tattoo.
- The only reason I went with
traditional today
was 'cause you were like,
"Oh, one-trick Pon."
I was like, "You know what?
I'm just gonna beat you
with the one trick
that I got, then."
- So you proved me right
by proving me right.
- Absolutely.
- Congrats.
- What's up, fellas?
- Hey, guys.
- What's up, what's up?
- I'm ready to dig into these.
- When I heard "90-minute
tattoo,"
I was like, "You know
what?
I'm doing a tattoo that
I would do in my shop."
His tattoo was really nice,
but, like, I tried to play
smarter.
- I was into it.
It looks super punched in.
I like the design.
I like the three drips
that are just stagnant
and stuck there stiff, 'cause
I like that type of stuff.
- The only thing that really
kicks me in the ass--
the golden skull--it comes off
more as an orange skull.
- It wasn't a traditional
color to do a skull in.
- Yeah.
- Like, I took a risk with it.
- But your hilt design
in itself was just off.
Like, I understand the style
of traditional,
and you can kind of get away
with being a little wacky,
whatever, but the tattooing has
to be clean, and it wasn't.
You don't even know the flaws
in your own tattoo.
- Well, that's why I'm glad
you're here to show me,
'cause you obviously didn't see
the flaws in your tattoo.
That thing has more haze
than a [bleep] L.A. morning.
That shit was gray as [bleep].
- L.A. is pretty hazy.
[laughter]
- I wasn't obviously happy.
There were some, like, line
work discrepancies.
The canvas--
it's almost like he had
some restless leg syndrome
or something like that,
'cause I'd be in the middle
of a line,
and he would just all of a
sudden decide to kick up
against the needle.
I'll own up to that, but, you
know, it doesn't suck
any less that it happened,
especially here.
- Aside from the blowouts that
you had, I thought it was rad.
I would love to rock that
thing, honestly.
It was delicate. I love
the texture that you put in
to add a little contrast
between the left and the
right-hand side of the dagger.
I love the bee you put in.
It's unexpected.
I love how soft it is compared
to the texture of the dagger.
Overall,
compositionally and design,
the take that you brought to us
is really fresh and cool.
And I loved it.
- Thank you.
- This is a tough one, man.
- I don't think Cam's mistakes
are as noticeable
as the wonky hilt on Pon's.
It's not aesthetically
pleasing when a curve
kind of gets weird
on one side.
I'm going with Cam.
Everything about it I thought
was really, really refreshing.
- Thank you.
And I like that big, wonky,
solid tattoo.
I'm gonna go with Pon.
- Thank you, brother.
- One vote for each, Cleen.
- I should have went first.
- You're the deciding
factor, bud.
- They're both good.
- They're both good.
- But in my eyes,
if you are an artist that uses
these thin lines,
you shouldn't have a blowout.
- Don't let him
peer-pressure you.
- How are we supposed to
convince each other?
- Don't let DJ
peer-pressure you.
Don't let DJ peer-pressure you.
- Don't let the freaking--
don't let that fool you, dude.
- I'm trying. I'm trying.
- Look me in the eyes.
- Okay.
- Don't fall victim to that.
- Okay.
- One vote for each, Cleen.
- I should have went first.
- You're the deciding
factor, bud.
[dramatic music]
- My vote...
is for Pon.
- Thank you.
- I always come down
to application.
- So, Pon, you're the winner
of the face-off.
- It feels great to have
the advantage.
- You get to pick the style
or the subject
for the six-hour
grudge match tattoo,
and that's gonna end it all.
- I don't want to do,
like, a thing
where, like, we can't both put
our best foot forward,
so I'd rather pick a subject
than a style.
- What's it gonna be?
- I say let's bring it back
to what got us here
in the first place,
and let's do sacred hearts.
- It's a tough call,
because do I want the design
that's great on paper
that's not packed?
- You don't want crooked
swords that you can't fix.
- Cam, you do not have what it
takes to be Ink Master.
- It's my favorite subject.
- What better way
to redeem yourself
than on what you went home on?
- Hell, yeah.
Get to it, guys.
- Get to drawing
and get to sleep
and do whatever you got to do
to do some awesome tattoos.
- Absolutely.
- Good luck.
- See you guys tomorrow.
- Thank you.
- Man, oh, man.
- That was hard for you, huh?
- Sacred hearts.
- I wasn't sure what you
were gonna choose.
- I feel like I can't do black
and gray, though.
- Do whatever you got to do.
Like, I said it,
and, like, shit,
do I do a traditional
one, like--
- That's what I'm saying.
- I might have just shot
myself in the foot.
- Do it again.
[laughs]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- 30 minutes, guys.
30 minutes left.
[tattoo needles buzzing]
♪ ♪
- That's a quick-ass hour
and a half, wasn't it?
♪ ♪
- Five, four...
- Oh, my God!
- Three, two, one.
Put 'em down!
- Yes!
- I love it.
- Looks like a sticker.
- That's sick.
- That was a good tattoo.
- I think I got you
on this one.
- I don't know.
Still seems kind of trad-y.
- It's neo-traditional.
- Oh, it's neo-traditional.
Got you.
- Your shit looked
kind of like
a new-school guy did it,
too, though.
- Still think I beat you.
- Hey, guys.
- Let's do this.
- Let's get into this.
90 minutes.
- That was crazy.
- No joke.
- That shit was tough.
I never haul ass like that.
- I do stuff like that
all day, every day.
- Don't you do traditional
tattoos all day, every day?
- Yeah.
- So did you give us
a traditional tattoo,
you think maybe?
- I did not.
I gave you
a neo-traditional tattoo.
- Is it traditional bordering
neo-traditional?
I think so.
I took two different reds,
two different greens,
two different grays.
I added white. I added
different line weights.
- A lot of those colors
are colors
you would have used
in traditional.
So, if you wanted it
to be truly
the opposite
of American traditional,
it could have been as simple as
changing the color palette.
That being said, I can't deny
the quality of the saturation.
I think the design is rad.
- I did a clean, solid tattoo.
- I think it was actually
a really good tattoo.
I just think it was way more
traditional
- than he thinks it's not.
- As was yours.
Yours looked
pretty new-school, man--
color bursts,
bright, vibrant colors,
like, the way you did the rope
and the crystals.
Everything's kind of
exaggerated, in a sense.
- I wouldn't
necessarily say so.
- I really like Tim's drawing.
Is it new-school? Nah.
It's not new-school.
I mean, some things fall
really flat.
You took a lot of your tricks
that really make things 3D,
you kind of reeled that back
a little bit.
This thing
is buttery solid, man.
- Thanks, man.
- I mean, it's crispy clean.
Your outlines
are pretty much flawless.
To pull out that tattoo,
90 minutes, my vote's for Tim.
- Thanks, man. Appreciate it.
- Kyle, if you would have
pulled out
a couple more tricks,
it would have tricked our eyes
a little bit more and showed us
some other things
that you can do.
- My vote is for Tim.
- Thanks. Appreciate it.
- My vote's for Tim.
- Tim, that means you won
the face-off tattoo, dude.
You get to pick
the style or subject
for tomorrow's six-hour
grudge match tattoo.
Think hard.
- Mm, okay.
- What are you gonna pick,
man?
- I'd like to beat him
with what I do best at what he
does best, if that makes sense.
Let's go with subject.
- What's it gonna be?
There's a lot of subjects.
- Yeah, there is a lot
of subjects.
♪ ♪
Let's do bulldogs.
- Oh, tomorrow's gonna be the
best day ever of "Ink Master"!
Ever!
- You are so happy, dude.
- I am pumped.
- Man.
- I love it.
- Where did that come from?
- I think about characters
all the time,
so why can't I think
of a bulldog?
- That's dope.
- I was, like, about to say,
like, is that not cool?
- I mean, we're into that shit.
- Yeah.
- I'm super down.
- That's awesome.
- Get to work.
We want to see some awesome
tattoos tomorrow, guys.
- Cool.
- [bleep], yeah, man.
- Good job, guys.
both: Good luck.
- It's gonna be a dogfight,
I'll tell you that.
- Clearly, you failed at
the versatility part of this,
so I'm giving you
the opportunity
to actually beat me
at any way you want.
Bring on your best.
D That's what I'm here
to do, baby,
and I expect you to do
the same.
Let's put an end to this.
♪ ♪
- All right, Kyle, Tim,
you guys have bulldog tattoos.
I'm very excited about this.
Are you ready?
- Oh, I'm ready.
- Are you ready?
- You know I am.
- Let's tattoo!
♪ ♪
- Oh!
- Just stand
nice and straight for me.
Sweet.
Good luck, Tim.
You're gonna need it.
All right, get ready.
♪ ♪
- Tim called bulldogs.
I love bulldogs!
Obviously, bulldogs have
a distinct look.
If you make the nose too long,
well, guess what.
That ain't a bulldog.
Don't put wrinkles in it?
Guess what.
Bulldogs have wrinkles!
This is probably
the most exciting day
ever on "Ink Master," period.
♪ ♪
- I am confident in my design,
but after losing
that 90-minute tattoo,
I'm feeling super anxious
and kind of doubtful
in my own skills.
- Just from the looks of it,
it looks like you went home
and made some changes
to your tattooing--
a little more neo-trad,
way fancier than anything
I've ever seen you do.
- They keep saying
I'm a one-trick pony, so...
Tim talks down to me
because I'm a traditional guy.
He acts
like I'm not an artist,
but I am an artist.
I've been an artist
since birth, man.
I'm ready to take
this win home.
Praying to Baby Jesus
over there?
- Yeah, a little bit, for you.
- Tim, you're going
[bleep] down.
♪ ♪
- All right, Cam, Pon,
you guys have six hours
to make these hearts beat.
Are you ready?
- Absolutely.
- Are you ready?
Let's tattoo!
- You want to hop up and get
the stencil on over here?
- I picked the subject matter
because I want to make sure
that we have
a level playing field.
I want Cam to have
no more excuses
so he can stop
his shit-talking.
I want him to be able to do
his style,
and I'll do my style,
and may the better man win.
Ain't nothing to it
but to do it.
♪ ♪
- Pon's playing a total mind
game right now.
Cam went home
on a sacred heart.
If he loses this,
this guy's never gonna be able
to sleep again.
He'll never live it down.
[tattoo needle buzzing]
I didn't see
your last sacred heart.
Is this similar
or different or...?
- Oh, it's, like,
totally different.
This time, I was just like,
"[bleep] it.
I want to do something that
I think is cool, win or lose."
I really want to mix up
a couple styles
within this design.
The flame and the blood drops
are a lot more traditional.
The thorns are
pretty illustrative,
but I'm using a realistic
anatomical heart.
- Cam, you doing okay
over there, bud?
- Better than you.
- Wow!
My design is gonna blow
Pon's out of the water.
This is the one that's finally
gonna put that little [bleep]
in his place.
[rock music]
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- So it's a sacred apple?
- Yeah. It's a sacred heart
apple, New York style.
I'm gonna do a new-school
sacred heart
New-York-themed mash-up.
So it's gonna be more
of a parody of a sacred heart.
I'm gonna use an apple
to replace the heart,
and instead of a crown of
thorns, I'm gonna use a worm,
and where the fire would be
on the tattoo,
I'm gonna use
a Statue of Liberty torch.
- What made you decide
new-school?
- Just 'cause he called me
one-trick Pon.
I want to show
that I can beat him
with more than just
a traditional style,
'cause he's doing some black
and gray bullshit.
This kid literally did black
and gray
the entire competition.
Doing black and gray, Cam?
- Exactly.
- Pretty much expected
exactly that style.
Ha ha! It worked.
I got you, man.
I can't wait to knock Cam
off his pedestal
and whup his ass again.
♪ ♪
- All right, guys,
we are halfway through these
bulldog tattoos.
Three hours remain, guys.
♪ ♪
[tattoo needle buzzing]
- Because I love expressive
and emotionally driven tattoos,
I like creating mood,
and oftentimes, mood's created
through single tones.
Pretty happy with that.
I'm gonna do a simpler
palette--mostly purples--
and it's gonna look pretty
one-tone-ish.
I don't know if that's going
to go against me,
but I feel like it's what
this piece needs.
- So did you grow up,
you know, drawing as a kid
and illustrating?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah?
- Absolutely.
Everyone in my family says
it's my first girlfriend,
is just the fact that I've
always just been in love
with art my whole life--
since I was, like, four.
Even though I'm doing my style,
I'm still gonna take a risk
and do something that you
haven't seen before
and show some versatility,
even for me.
♪ ♪
- All right, guys.
This is the final hour.
Only one hour remains.
♪ ♪
- These guys--
I don't know what's going on
with their color theory.
- What happened
to Tim's tattoo?
- Purple in the mouth,
purple in the background,
purple bow--
I mean, he's got
16 different shades of purple.
But that outline is so clean.
- Kyle's tattoo looked great
to me in terms of cleanliness,
but the pipe is the same color
as the dog.
Everything is all
the same color and patterns.
What is what?
- Right now, nobody's knocking
anybody out.
It's still anybody's game.
♪ ♪
- Five, four,
three, two, one.
That's it.
This grudge match is over.
- Beautiful.
It came out really good--
the colors and everything.
- Yeah. He's a good boy.
- [chuckles]
- Aw, shit!
- I think it's awesome.
I love it.
Thank you so much.
- You're very, very welcome.
- Thanks for throwing me
a bone today, bro.
- Apparently if it wasn't
for my creativity,
you wouldn't have been able
to pull it off at all.
- Is adding
a giant purple bruise
behind your tattoo creativity?
- It's not a bruise.
It's actually just purple.
You wouldn't know much
about colors
if you had, like, explored
more than just five.
- I used at least 16 today.
- At least 16
in your traditional tattoo?
- You can't tell me my design
wasn't solid as [bleep].
- Both the tattoos may have
been solid, but yet again,
I still think mine
was way more creative.
May the better artist win.
- Well, I think
the main difference
between these two guys
is that Tim considers himself
an artist first
and a tattooer second,
and Kyle, I think,
is the complete opposite.
He puts tattooing first,
fundamentals first.
- Is it such a bad thing
if you can nail that perfectly?
I mean...
- That's the debate, though.
Tattooing is tattooing,
so no matter what, I don't care
how good your drawing is,
if it's tattooed poorly,
it's still crap.
- Hey, guys.
- What up?
- What's up?
- Let's get into it.
- Yeah, let's do it.
- Where do we go first--
old-school or new-school?
- Let's take it back
to the old school.
- Let's go to Kyle.
- All right, Kyle.
I love this design.
It's super strong, so bold.
Your lines are super solid,
punched in.
- I liked how you actually
used some finer lines.
Your layout on this--just
everything worked really well.
- But honestly,
the color up against color
was the main issue that I had.
I didn't like how the baby blue
that you used to shade the
little sailor hat is right up
against the baby blue-gray
of the cloud.
- I mean, I did use two
different inks.
- In the skin, they look
so similar, though.
- I noticed the same thing
in Tim's.
There was way too much
purple going on.
- You kind of have
the same thing,
where it's just, like,
browns and warm tones.
I mean, it's a wooden pipe,
brown dog, black muzzle.
Like, brown on brown.
- Where did I do
brown on brown?
- In the pipe,
in the muzzle.
- No, those are two
different tones,
and they're separated
with white highlights...
- Well, guess what, babe.
They look exactly the same.
- You can't say that I'm not
separating my shit--
- I'm saying it.
You left no negative skin break
on your hat.
It blends right in--
- What are you talking about?
The whole hat is skin tone.
- The whole hat
is the same color
as the clouds next to it.
- There's lines, and there's
different tones of ink.
- Well, obviously,
they say, you know,
you can't teach
an old dog new tricks.
Kyle, you brought in
some solid fundamentals,
whereas, Tim,
your design choices,
your illustrating is out
of this world on this tattoo.
This dog had a whole story,
a personality.
It's a character,
and it takes so much talent
to be able to invoke
that sort of feeling
from just one illustration.
- You do got a ton
of clean lines in this thing.
When you got it, you got it.
When it comes to some
of the color saturation,
it gets a bit away from you.
In the dark parts of the mouth
where you got the purple,
it just looks
a little muddy to me.
- I'm not a huge fan
of all the purple.
I feel like
you would have benefitted
by switching that up.
- I didn't want to color bomb
it, just because, I mean,
I know that's definitely,
like, a classic thing.
- Yeah, but that's new-school.
That's the thing.
- That is the thing,
but I'm more so
into, like, emotions
and creating mood.
- I like that you carried the
same colors throughout things.
It was just maybe the choices
of where you put them.
- Overall, just looking
at the cuteness
of this little girl bulldog
with the bow in her hair
and holding on to the bone
for dear life is awesome.
- Side by side, if you put
both of those tattoos together,
I didn't see a single ounce
of black in any of his tattoo
except for the outline.
Well, I mean, fair, but he
just used a traditional rule
and applied it to my style.
- No. Every tattoo needs black.
It's what gives
everything contrast.
- I agree, it's lacking
a little black,
but he separated
his elements so perfectly
that there's never gonna be
confusion as to what is what.
- There is confusion because
there's so much purple in it.
It's all blending together.
- It comes down to,
what do you value more--
a super-creative tattoo
that has more technical flaws
or a super
technically solid tattoo
that has more design flaws?
Me, personally, before I'm
a tattooer, I am an artist,
and I do value those things,
and that's why my vote
is for Tim.
- Thank you.
- Well, everybody
has an opinion
on what they think is art.
There's plenty of people that
buy some expensive [bleep] art
that I think looks like shit.
With that being said,
this is a tattoo contest.
I'm gonna have to go
with Kyle on this one
'cause his tattoo
is pretty damn bulletproof.
♪ ♪
- What do you think, DJ?
♪ ♪
- [sighs, blows raspberry]
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- What do you think, DJ?
- [sighs, blows raspberry]
Both of you guys, from the
drawing table to the tattoo,
just killed it.
I mean, Tim's--I have a huge
love for new-school.
But I love that traditional
solid shit all day.
Man.
My vote's for Kyle.
- Awesome.
- Congratulations, dude.
That means you won
the grudge match.
[rock music]
- I hope this settles it, man.
- Yes, it does.
- You're still a [bleep]
solid tattooer, man.
- Thanks, man. Appreciate it.
- You have my respect.
- Even though I ended up
losing, along the way,
Kyle admitted the fact
that he is a one-trick pony,
and he's very happy with that,
so does that make him a winner?
- Thanks for coming.
- See you guys later.
- All right. Come here.
- Good job, guys.
- [groans]
I love you, Whoopi Goldberg.
- Oh, shut up, dumb ass.
[laughter]
♪ ♪
- You guys got one hour left.
One hour.
♪ ♪
- I think
they're both putting in good,
clean, pretty solid tattoos,
but Cam's line work is way
better today than Pon's is.
- Yeah.
- Which was the opposite
of yesterday.
- Honestly, I like Cam's more
than I like Pon's design.
- Uh-uh. I mean, I think doing
a sacred fruit
is a great take
on a sacred heart, no?
- I get where he's going.
He's trying to make a story.
Yeah. You can still tell
a story,
but things have to be,
like, recognizable.
♪ ♪
- You almost done?
- No. I'm gonna use
all six hours.
- This is fun, but at least
I'll go home a winner.
- The biggest prize is I never
got to see you again.
Sha-boom.
♪ ♪
- All right, guys.
It's down to the wire.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Put them things down.
- I think this is a winner.
- Awesome. I love it.
- So what do you think?
Do I stand a chance?
Oh, yeah, that's bad-ass.
I love that.
- How you feeling
about your tat?
- I like my tattoo.
I would have never had
the balls
to do an apple
on sacred heart day.
- It's a sacred heart.
- Sacred apple.
- Regardless, it's over.
I don't have to hear
any more bitching on your end.
- My problem was never
with tattooing.
It's just, like,
literally always
this, like, condescending,
super weasel-y-ass attitude
you have towards me,
where you would bitch and moan
behind my back.
Like a high-school girl,
you, like, gossiped.
- Dude, you shit all over me
in front of people.
I'd rather attack you
where it matters--here.
And it can just all get
settled.
- At least we can agree
on that.
- These guys' styles
are completely different.
- Oh, yeah, and both of them
talk some shit.
- They're almost, like,
bickering to see who's alpha.
You know what I mean?
- Yeah. 100%.
- They're flexing, they're
strutting their stuff...
- Both of them
are beating their chest,
trying to say that...
- Totally.
- You know, "I'm the shit"...
- But somehow they managed
to do all that shit-talking
and pull off
two great tattoos today.
- Oh, yeah.
- You guys have been taking
jabs at each other
this whole entire time,
and we're here to end it.
One of you guys
is walking away
from this grudge match
a winner.
- Sweet.
- Absolutely.
Let's do it.
- Pon, I love
that you're a storyteller.
It's few and far between
artists can tell a whole story
with the picture
and really put thought
into every single piece.
- What if there's sometimes
too much story
behind something and it could
cloud someone's judgment
of what something even is?
- Let me ask you a question--
when you looked at it,
you didn't say,
"It was an apple with a worm."
You said, "Oh, that's
a cool sacred apple."
But if someone that didn't
even hear the challenge--
just walk up
on that tattoo, right?
It's a cool apple
with a worm and a flame.
You don't click and say,
"Sacred heart."
For the challenge, it might
have missed it a little.
- I think it meets
the challenge.
I love the bite taken
out of the bottom of the apple
and how you did the trick
that makes it look
like the skin of the apple
is really thick.
I love the dimension you got
in such a simple, small area,
The tattooing that you did...
- Solid.
- Was super solid,
which is why
it's so difficult today,
because, Cam, the tattoo
you did was also super solid.
- Dude, you had
an awesome drawing.
I love the mash-up of styles.
I like the dot work
you put in the flame.
You switch up textures
all around this thing.
You used different tricks,
and it really shows.
- Some of the grays
get a little tonal.
You have almost the same gray
on the inside
because you don't have
that dark black
to separate
the whole thing.
So, from a distance,
it's really hard to tell
what's going on.
- I was trying to be
super sparing,
because in my earlier career,
I would, like, black
way too much.
- I don't want to bash
his tattoo.
The only thing I think
is, like, there was
some scratchiness in the middle
that I really didn't like.
- You know,
I definitely tried to keep,
like, the aspects of what
I think are in a sacred heart.
He obviously knows
how to [bleep] tattoo,
but it's just, like, the flame,
you know?
It looked like
one cardboard orange,
and then behind it was
that one little--
and they were
just, like, flat.
It almost seems
like he started,
and he was like,
"Yes, yes, yes!"
And he just...
[blows raspberry]
As soon as he
got to the top.
- This dude just went on
for, like, 45 minutes.
I don't even know what
he was saying.
- These are two great tattoos.
- Yeah.
- It's a hard decision.
- How many push-ups
can you guys do?
- Let's go.
- I'll take that. That's fine.
- Don't sell me short.
- I love black and gray.
It's my thing.
I'm not going that way today.
My vote is for Pon.
It looked like a sticker.
It was unexpected.
I think you did a great job.
[sighs] Like, there's
good qualities about both.
I like Cam's design.
I like the overall cleanliness
of it.
My vote's for Cam.
- Thank you.
Who's it gonna be, Cleen?
- [sighs]
It's tough, you know?
They're both two great tattoos.
♪ ♪
I'm gonna choose Pon.
- [chuckles]
Just because Cam's,
from across the room,
it's hard to tell what it is.
- Congrats, Pon.
You just won the grudge match.
[rock music]
♪ ♪
At the end of the day,
our grudge was never
about tattooing.
It was just personality.
He's a talented tattooer,
and I thought
this was an awesome day.
- You know, I got to be able
to do a tattoo
that I was pumped on,
and I'll take that, you know?
That's a win for me.
- You did good, man.
- You guys both did killer.
- It's probably for the best
that Pon "won"
this grudge match.
I genuinely think
his fragile self-esteem
couldn't handle losing to me.
- I love this guy.
- It's all good, man.
- I always got his back.
- All right.
- Well, go do
some more cool tattoos.
- I always got your
back, brother.
- No, we're good.
- [chuckles]
- That didn't end shit,
[bleep].
- [laughs]