Artists, it is about time to grab your tattoo machines for a potential cash prize and grow your portfolio. After the success of its return, Paramount Plus has set a release date for Ink Master season 15, which will include a new judge to determine which artist is worthy of $250,000. Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden returns to host the reality series on November 1, which premieres the first three episodes before going weekly.
Three-time Ink Master winner DJ Tambe returns, but this time as a judge for season 15. He will be joined by the returning judges Ryan Ashley, who was the first woman to win the competition show, and world-renowned artist Nikko Hurtado. Each brings their own expertise with backgrounds of color and black and gray realism, Japanese traditional, neotraditional, and other styles of tattooing.
Ink Master Season 15 Sets New Judge With November Release Date
The new season marks a furious comeback for the beloved series that has made careers of tattoo artists and helped boost the art form into the mainstream. In 2020, it was canceled after 13 seasons for numerous reasons, particularly when it came to Paramount’s rebrand that focused on movies rather than reality competition shows. Now, with its streaming service, it opened the door for last year’s return and was successful enough to earn yet another season and a $250,000 prize pool.
Ink Master, returning for season 15, will continue its legacy, which has mixed feelings in the tattoo industry. On the one hand, it has skyrocketed talented artists’ careers, like the two judges with a history of being competitors on the show. On the other, it has been criticized by artists for misrepresenting the tattoo experience with its edits and presentation. The process can take a long time for major pieces, sometimes requiring multiple long sessions of six to eight hours, which cannot be shown in an hour of TV.
