Ink Master — 2012-present · 17 seasons · 231 eps

★ 7.4

Ink Master poster

Ink Master

2012-present 17 seasons 231 episodes

★ 7.4 (5,305 votes) Bottom 46%

A group of the country's most creative and skilled tattoo artists compete for a hundred thousand dollars and the title of Ink Master. The stakes couldn't be higher with "living canvasses" donating their skin to be permanently marked in this adrenalized competition elimination.

Episode Ratings Grid

Every episode at a glance, color-coded by rating. Rows are episode numbers within each season, columns are seasons.

Size: M

S1

S2

S3

S4

S5 1-30

S5 31-60

S5 61-90

S5 91-98

S6

S7

S8

S9

S10

S11

S12

S13

S14

S15

S16

S17

E1

7.5

7.4

7.3

7.2

7.5

—

—

—

7.5

7.2

6.8

6.9

8.0

7.6

7.0

7.2

7.1

7.0

7.0

8.3

E2

7.5

7.5

7.4

7.2

7.3

—

—

—

7.0

7.4

6.6

7.0

7.2

7.5

7.0

7.4

6.6

7.3

7.6

8.3

E3

7.6

7.8

7.6

6.7

7.2

—

—

—

7.3

7.1

6.6

6.5

7.2

7.8

7.3

7.5

6.6

7.2

7.0

8.5

E4

7.5

7.7

7.3

7.5

7.4

—

—

—

6.9

7.3

6.7

7.1

7.3

7.7

7.3

7.2

7.2

7.2

7.2

8.4

E5

7.6

7.6

7.4

7.7

7.1

—

—

—

7.3

7.6

6.6

6.7

7.6

7.7

7.3

7.7

6.4

7.8

7.4

8.4

E6

7.8

7.4

7.3

7.1

7.1

—

—

—

7.2

7.5

6.6

6.7

7.2

7.6

6.7

7.7

6.7

7.1

6.5

8.4

E7

7.5

7.9

7.4

7.8

7.2

—

—

7.3

7.2

7.4

6.8

6.5

7.1

7.5

7.3

7.1

6.1

7.6

6.9

8.3

E8

7.1

7.3

7.0

7.4

7.1

—

—

7.0

7.0

7.0

6.6

7.0

6.9

7.5

7.2

6.8

5.8

7.6

7.5

?

E9

7.6

7.4

7.3

7.0

7.1

—

—

7.1

7.7

6.7

7.0

6.9

7.3

6.8

7.2

5.8

7.3

6.6

?

E10

6.1

7.0

—

6.9

—

—

6.8

7.5

7.1

7.3

7.4

7.5

7.2

7.3

5.4

5.2

6.6

?

E11

7.6

7.5

7.3

6.7

—

—

7.3

7.3

6.7

7.2

7.2

7.4

7.2

7.3

E12

6.8

7.3

6.7

7.0

—

—

7.5

6.9

5.0

6.7

7.2

7.3

7.6

7.8

E13

7.5

7.1

6.8

6.9

—

—

6.9

7.0

6.9

7.2

7.1

7.4

6.8

6.5

E14

7.2

—

—

7.0

7.0

6.9

7.1

7.2

7.2

6.7

E15

7.3

—

—

6.8

7.2

7.5

6.1

7.3

7.2

7.0

E16

6.7

—

—

6.4

5.9

6.4

6.4

6.6

6.2

E17

—

—

—

6.8

E18

—

—

—

6.8

E19

—

—

—

E20

—

—

—

E21

—

—

—

E22

—

—

—

E23

—

—

—

E24

—

—

—

E25

—

—

—

E26

—

—

—

E27

—

—

—

E28

—

—

—

E29

—

—

—

E30

—

—

—

Avg

7.5

7.4

7.3

7.2

7.1

7.0

7.3

6.6

6.9

7.1

7.4

7.1

7.2

6.4

7.1

7.0

8.4

Great

Good

Mid

Bad

Episode Power Rankings

The best and worst episodes at a glance. Use this to find must-watch episodes or ones you might want to skip.

🏆 Top Episodes

#1 8.5

S17E3 Gut Check

In a team Flash Challenge, the Artists must paint with smoke. Glitter tattoos on the stomach have them struggling to shine, and an unexpected twist makes winning Tattoo of the Day more important than ever.

#2

S17E4 8.4

Bottled Up

The Artists try to foil the competition in the Flash Challenge. Their artistry is put to the test with transparent bottle tattoos and one Artist becomes the Canvas in a bold move to survive. The battle for the title continues.

#3

S17E5 8.4

It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

The Artists face a brutal flash marathon, racing the clock to design and tattoo as many pieces as possible-on the body's toughest placements. With no room for error and a double elimination on the line, they must adapt to survive.

4. S17E6 "No Day at the Beach" 8.4
5. S17E1 "Hometown Throwdown" 8.3
6. S17E2 "Back to the Drawing Board" 8.3
7. S17E7 "All Scars Will Heal" 8.3
8. S10E1 "Pick Your Side" 8.0
9. S2E7 "Star Wars Forever" 7.9
10. S1E6 "Permanent Mistakes" 7.8

📉 Bottom Episodes

#228

S8E12 5.0

Road to the Finale

Dave digs deeper into the lives and strategies of the final 6 artists from Team Peck and Team Nuñez.

227. S15E10 "Fifteen's Finale" 5.2
226. S14E10 "Finale: Part 2" 5.4
225. S14E9 "Finale: Part 1" 5.8
224. S14E8 "Let the Sparks Fly" 5.8

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.

Trend

Episode Engagement

Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

Rating threshold:

29 Standouts

87 Infamous

27 Hidden Gems

85 Forgettable

Top Standout: S1E1 Fresh Meat

Most Infamous: S8E12 Road to the Finale

Best Hidden Gem: S17E3 Gut Check

Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5). More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.

Series Trajectory

A simplified view: one point per season. This smooths out episode-to-episode noise to show the overall arc of the series.

Trend

Season Momentum

Did each season build momentum or fizzle out? Green arrows mean the finale rated higher than the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows = bigger swings.

Season Consistency

Some seasons are reliable bangers. Others are hit-or-miss. Each dot is an episode. Tightly clustered dots mean consistent quality. Scattered dots mean a mixed bag.

Each dot is an episode. Clustered dots = consistent quality. Scattered dots = variable season. Hover for episode details.