There have certainly been a lot of great tattoo artists that have showcased their talents on Ink Master over the years. That’s the bad part about competitions; sometimes, the best may not be “the best” in a field made up of the top tattoo artists in the nation. As with all reality competitions, there are some artists who felt as if they deserved to win, only to narrowly lose out to an artist who was slightly better.
Looking back on all the years of Ink Master, there are definitely some artists who were the best at their craft but could bring home the title of being the ultimate Ink Master.
Eric Siuda (Season 5)
Although Jason Clay Dunn won all the marbles in season 5, there were those who felt that Eric Siuda should have been the actual Ink Master of the season, not Dunn.
Siuda and his team were more consistent and well-rounded throughout the season, which made Dunn’s ultimate victory sting a little for some viewers.
Walter “Sausage” Frank (Season 4)
Mention the name Walter “Sausage” Frank to an Ink Master fan, and there’s a strong possibility that they’ll say that he should have been the ultimate Ink Master of season 4, not Scott Marshall.
Granted, Marshall was an awesome tattoo artist who was consistent throughout the season, but Frank won Tattoo of the Day 4 times, with his tattoos being both powerful and mind-boggling. All the ingredients were in place for Frank to win it all, which made his loss to Marshall a tough one for some fans to bear.
Chris Blinston (Season 6)
If there was ever a controversy surrounding who should have been the Ink Master, it occurred in season 6 when talented tattoo artist Chris Blinston took home second place.
The loss was controversial because Blinston’s canvass was consistently great throughout the season, and, much like Walter “Sausage” Frank in the 4th season, Blinston had everything needed to take home the win but just couldn’t close it.
Tiffer Wright (Season 11)
Bring up season 11 of Ink Master, and many will insist that Tiffer Wright should have been the winner of the season. Tony Medellin was great, and his tattoos were simply out-of-this-world, but the motto of the competition is the best tattoo artist should win.
Wright had a sensational season all around, so his loss appeared simply unfair to many fans of the show.
Kelly Doty (Season 8)
Season 8 was a particularly memorable chapter of Ink Master as it was the season that really shone a spotlight on the talent of the female artists, with three female tattoo artists making it to the top three.
While anyone of the three could have won, Kelly Doty’s work stands out in particular with the benefit of hindsight. It’s a shame that she didn’t take home the title of Ink Master for season 8, but the competition was very particularly tough that year.
James “Cleen Rock One” Steinke (Season 5)
Overall, some fans think that the artists of season 5 were relatively weak compared to other seasons, but that didn’t mean that the season was completely devoid of talent.
James “Cleen Rock One” Steinke of Las Vegas was a great tattoo artist throughout the season, and he definitely deserved his spot in the top two. Much like Erik Sidua, Steinke was more consistent than the winner of the season, Jason Clay Dunn.
Juan Salgado (Season 10)
While season 10 may have been the “Season of the Josh”, he certainly wasn’t the only talented artist to come out of this season. Juan Salgado carried the banner for Puerto Rico during season 10 and did so proudly.
His work was spectacular, and, if it wasn’t for some Josh-centric storylines that somewhat drowned out the rest of the talent, Salgado would come off as the only clear winner.
Christian Buckingham (Season 7)
Anthony Michaels was the winner of season 7, but maybe it should have gone to Christian Buckingham of Henderson, Nevada, whose work was brilliant, skilled, and consistent throughout.
It may not really matter who came away as the Ink Master of season 7, as it was more of a “throwback” season than anything else, but Buckingham’s talent came off as being unfairly overlooked nonetheless.
Matti Hixson (Season 4)
Season 4 of Ink Master will go down as one of the best of the series for the staggering amount of talent that was displayed throughout. Even the artists who didn’t finish in the top five had the talent to go all the way, but Matti Hixson was definitely a favorite.
He had great tattoos throughout the season and was consistently mind-blowing. This is one of the few times when it can be said unreservedly that the reason that a fan favorite didn’t win was that the competition was just so fierce.
Jime Litwalk (Season 3)
Season 3 of Ink Master debuted when the show had just begun to gather a huge following thanks to the amazing talent displayed in previous seasons. While Joey Hamilton rightfully won the season and should be considered one of the most talented artists in the show’s history, Jime Litwalk of Orlando, Florida shouldn’t be forgotten either.
His work was powerful, and it could easily be argued that if Joey wasn’t part of the season, Litwalk could have easily walked away as the Ink Master.
