by MEGAN ROMANCZUK Section Editor
“Best Ink” season three came to an end on Wednesday, February 27 with Karly Cleary taking the win.
“Best Ink” is a reality show based on the best tattoo artists around the United States.
The show is hosted by Pete Wentz who is mostly known for playing bass in the famous band Fall Out Boy.
The tattoos are judged by three judges that have had years of experience in the business.
Head judge Joe Capobiano has had 20 years of experience, and is mostly known for his signature “Blood Puddin” style.
The second judge Hannah Aitchison has had 16 years of experience and often points out flaws in the competitor’s tattoos. Aitchison is know for her pinup designs, portraits, and vibrant color work.
The last judge is Sabina Kelley who has had no experience tattooing, but she has been an international pinup model for quite some time. Kelley also attends tattoo conventions and created her own tattoo removal shop.
The winner gets a $100,000 cash prize, as well as a cover article in a tattoo magazine.
The competition is based around flash challenges and the elimination tattoo session with a select skin. During a flash challenge, the competitors do a non-related tattoo task that is based around different art techniques and skills. Most of the time, flash challenges have to do with the form of tattoo that they are doing that day.
Whoever wins the flash challenges sometimes gets perks such as either having extra time to tattoo, first choice of picking a skin, or stealing a skin from another contestant.
When it comes to the elimination tattoos, the judges of the show preselect the skins and then each contestant meets with their skin to have a consultation session. After the consultation session is over, the contestant must have the general idea of the tattoo’s artwork completed so the next day, it is ready to be tattooed.
Each contestant has five hours to finish the tattoo with little to no flaws. Judges then go over the completed work, choosing which artist had the best or worst tattoo.
“I have watched ‘Best Ink’ since it first came out and season three was the best one by far! The season was filled with skillful and amazing tattooists that made it impossible to pick a favorite,” says senior Tania Chita.
The season finale consisted of Alayna, Darnell and Karly as they battle each other to become best ink.
The episode started with the three competitors going to their first flash challenge. When they arrived at the chosen destination, the judges announced that they would be doing street-shop style, which is tattooing five skins within eight hours.
At first, Karly and Darnell took the lead, finishing tattoos very quickly so they could have more time for skins that want more detail.
However, Alayna took the time to sketch out tattoos to showcase her skills and creativity.
During the elimination round for the flash challenge, Darnell and Karly moved on to the next round, whereas Alayna was sent home.
The final ink challenge was to complete a full-scale back piece in two six-hour sessions.
Karly composed a piece that related to past skins by creating a nature scene that had a stag in the center with the antlers as trees. She also made a quick decision to put a halo on top of the stag to showcase the skin’s religious background.
Darnell created a space-themed background with dazzling colors that complimented the focal image, which was a boy sitting in a tree and a Buddha sitting on a moon.
When it came down to elimination, the judges complimented Darnell’s ability to complete a full back piece in 12 hours. The judges liked that Karly’s piece showed off her skill level, but she did not follow the rules of the challenge.
“I had so much anxiety watching the season finale because I was rooting for Karly the whole time and I was praying that she wouldn’t make a stupid mistake that could ruin the whole tattoo,” says senior Casey Eggers
The final decision was based off of who used their skills and creativity to their full potential throughout the entire competition.
The judges announced that Karly was not only the winner, but had set a record of winning four ink challenges.
Did you watch the season finale? If yes, what was your favorite part?