Ink Master: 10 Best Artists Who Didn’t Win It All

There were certainly a lot of great tattoo artists that showcased their talents on Ink Master over the past 13 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 13-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.

10 Eric Siuda (Season 5)

Although Jason Clay Dunn won all the marbles in season five, there were some viewers 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, but, in the end, it was Dunn who walked away with the prize, not Siuda, which didn’t sit too well with some viewers.

9 Walter “Sausage” Frank (Season 4)

Mention the name Walter “Sausage” Frank to Ink Master fans, and many will still remind you that he should have been the ultimate Ink Master of season four, not Scott Marshall.

Granted, Marshall was an awesome tattoo artist who was consistent throughout the season, but Frank won Tattoo of the Day four times, and his tattoos were both powerful and mindboggling. All the ingredients were in place for Frank to win it all, but, in the end, this talent didn’t go all the way.

8 Chirs Blinston (Season 6)

If there was any controversy as to who should have been the Ink Master, it occurred in season six when talented tattoo artist Chris Blinston took home second place.

This was controversial because Blinston’s canvass was consistently great throughout the season, and, much like Walter “Sausage” Frank in the fourth season, Blinston had everything needed to take on home the win.

7 Tiffer Wright (Season 11)

Bring up season 11 of Ink Master, and many will scream 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. For some, that artist wasn’t Medellin, but Wright, who had a sensational season all around.

6 Kelly Doty (Season 8)

Season eight was a particularly memorable season for Ink Master; it was the season that showed that the ladies could ink with the best of them, with three female tattoo artists making it to the top three.

While anyone of the three could have won, Kelly Doty’s work simply stands on its own merit. It’s a shame that she didn’t take home the title of Ink Master for Season eight, but, then again, there was so much talent during this season, and her competition was stiff.

5 James “Cleen Rock One” Steinke (Season 5)

Overall, some fans think that the talent of season five was rather 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, leaving some fans to further question the talent that season five presented.

4 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 the season and did it proudly.

His work was spectacular, and, if it wasn’t for some Josh centric storylines that sort of drowned out the rest of the talent, a case could easily be made that Salgado should have been the season 10 winner.

3 Christian Buckingham (Season 7)

Anthony Michaels was the winner of this season, but maybe it should have gone to Christian Buckingham of Henderson, Nevada, who’s work was brilliant, skilled, and consistent throughout the season.

It may not really matter who would have come away as the Ink Master for season seven—this was more of a “throwback” season than anything else—but Buckingham’s talent should never be overlooked, as it may have been during this season.

2 Matti Hixon (Season 4)

Season four of Ink Master will go down as one of the best of the series for the sheer 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 Hixon was definitely a favorite.

He had great tattoos throughout the season and was consistent and mind-blowing. This is one of the few times where one can say that the reason Hixon didn’t win was that the competition was just so fierce.

1 Jime Litwalk (Season 3)

Season three of Ink Master debuted when the show gained its huge following thanks to the amazing talent that was on display. 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, FL shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

His work was powerful and spectacular, and one could make the argument that, if Joey wasn’t part of the season, Litwalk could have easily walked way as the Ink Master for the show’s third season.

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