Ink Master season 17

Last updated
Ink Master: Hometown Heroes
Season 17
Ink Master S17 poster.jpg
Promotional poster featuring judges and contestants
Hosted by Joel Madden
Judges
No. of contestants15
No. of episodes4
Release
Original network Paramount+
Original releaseOctober 29, 2025 (2025-10-29) –
present
Season chronology
← Previous
OGs vs Young Guns

Ink Master: Hometown Heroes is the seventeenth season of tattoo reality competition show, Ink Master which was announced on October 1, 2025. [1] It premiered on October 29, 2025 with the first three episodes on Paramount+, with the rest of the episodes being released weekly. Good Charlotte vocalist Joel Madden returns as host, while season 8 winner Ryan Ashley, Nikko Hurtado and three-time champion, DJ Tambe, return as judges. [2]

Contents

Like the previous season, artists competed against each other for the title of Ink Master as well as a $250,000 cash prize. The season sees 15 artists representing their hometowns to bring home the crown, putting their reputations and regional pride on the line. The contestants participating were announced ahead of the season premiere.

Judging and ranking

Judging panel

The judging panel is a table of four primary judges. The judges make their final decision by voting to see who had best tattoo of the day, and who goes home.

Elimination Tattoo Winner's pick

The artist who wins Best Tattoo of the Day will help the judges choose an artist for elimination.

Contestants

Names, experience, and cities stated are at time of filming.

Contestant NameYears of
experience		HometownOutcome
Isnard Barbosa20 Dublin, Ireland Participating
Boushee Bowie Tulsa, Oklahoma
Seth Holmes Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Keahi Ikeda Honolulu, Hawaii
Alli Johnson3 Kansas City, Missouri
Luka Lajoie18 Montreal, Canada
Matt Mooney Melbourne, Australia
Kyra Torres Vancouver, Canada
OJ Thomas Matawan, New Jersey 9th place
Teneile Napoli Gold Coast, Australia 10th place
Mike Beecher4 Gillette, Wyoming 11th place
Emily Sabrina Estrada Watford City, North Dakota 12th place
Tyler Jenkins Orlando, Florida 13th place
Sherri Austria Los Angeles, California 14th place
Nadia Most Mashad, Iran 15th place

Contestant progress

ContestantEpisode
2345678910
Isnard BarbosaSAFEHIGHHIGHHIGHParticipating
Boushee BowieSAFESAFESAFESAFE
Seth HolmesSAFESAFESAFEHIGH
Keahi IkedaSAFESAFEBTM3BTM4
Alli JohnsonSAFEBTM3SAFESAFE
Luka LajoieSAFESAFETOP2SAFE
Matt MooneySAFESAFEWINWIN
Kyra TorresSAFEWINHIGHBTM4
OJ ThomasSAFELOWBTM3ELIM
Teneile NapoliSAFEHIGHHIGHELIM
Mike BeecherSAFEBTM3ELIM
Emily Sabrina EstradaSAFEELIM
Tyler JenkinsELIM
Sherri AustriaELIM
Nadia MostELIM
  The contestant won Ink Master.
  The contestant was the runner-up.
  The contestant was eliminated during the finale.
  The contestant advanced to the finale.
  The contestant won Best Tattoo of the Day.
  The contestant won the Tattoo Marathon.
  The contestant won their Head-to-Head challenge.
  The contestant was ranked at the top by the judges during the Blind Critique.
  The contestant was among the top.
  The contestant received positive critiques.
  The contestant received mixed critiques.
  The contestant received negative critiques.
  The contestant was in the bottom.
  The contestant was eliminated from the competition.
  The contestant quit the competition.
  The contestant was put in the bottom by the artist who won Best Tattoo of the Day.
  The contestant was eliminated from the competition.
  The contestant was put in the bottom by the artist who won Best Tattoo of the Day and was eliminated from the competition.
  The contestant returned as a guest in the episode.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date
2151"Hometown Throwdown"October 29, 2025 (2025-10-29)

Fifteen new artists compete for the title of Ink Master and $250,000, while representing their respective hometowns. There are only 12 shops and to earn their spot, they have to compete in a three round test.

  • Whiteboard Challenge – Round 1: Artists test their drawing skills on a white board to create a tattoo design in three hours. The judges will decide who gets to tattoo their designs on skin. Artists chosen from the first round have five hours to tattoo their whiteboard designs in order to secure their shop. Artists that were not selected must compete in the second round.
    • Chosen: Keahi Ikeda, Luka Lajoie, Alli Johnson, Matt Mooney, Isnard Barbosa, Emily Sabrina Estrada, and Kyra Torres
    • Winners: Alli Johnson and Keahi Ikeda
2162"Back to the Drawing Board"October 29, 2025 (2025-10-29)

There are ten shops left, with thirteen artists left to compete for a spot.

  • Realism Tattoo – Round 2: To earn a shop, artists have six hours to tattoo a realistic animal that represents their hometown.
    • Winners: Luka Lajoie, OJ Thomas, Teneile Napoli, Kyra Torres, Matt Mooney, Boushee Bowie, and Mike Beecher.
  • Elimination Tattoo – Round 3: In their final chance to secure a spot, artists must tattoo their white board drawing from round one.
    • Winners: Isnard Barbosa, Seth Holmes, and Emily Sabrina Estrada
    • Eliminated: Nadia Most, Sherri Austria, and Tyler Jenkins
2173"Gut Check"October 29, 2025 (2025-10-29)

  • Skill of the Week: Contrast
  • Flash Challenge: Artists must paint with multi colored smoke grenades to show contrast on an 8-by-12 foot canvas. The teams are divided by three teams of four. Emily, Seth and Isnard get the power to choose their teams.
    • Winners: Team Isnard (Isnard Barbosa, Teneile Napoli, Mike Beecher, and Matt Mooney)
  • Elimination Tattoo: Artists must tattoo glitter tattoos on the stomach. All canvases get tattooed on the same part of the body throughout the season and cannot be moved. Each week, the artist who wins Best Tattoo of the Day will help the judges choose an artist for elimination.
    • Best Tattoo of the Day: Kyra Torres
    • Winner's Pick: Mike Beecher
    • Bottom: Alli Johnson and Emily Sabrina Estrada
    • Eliminated: Emily Sabrina Estrada
2174"Bottled Up"November 5, 2025 (2025-11-05)

  • Skill of the Week: Artistry
  • Flash Challenge: Artists must make a 3D sculpture using aluminum. One team of five artists and one team of six artists must compete against one another. Alli and Mike get the power to pick their teams and they can pick any artist they want except for Kyra. Once all the artists are chosen, Kyra herself gets to choose what team she wants to be on.
    • Winners: Team Mike (Mike Beecher, Matt Mooney, Luka Lajoie, Teneile Napoli, and OJ Thomas)
  • Elimination Tattoo: To test their artistry, artists must tattoo bottles on the calf. All human canvases are people of color. Alli's canvas walked due to not being satisfied with her design and she ended up tattooing herself.
    • Best Tattoo of the Day: Matt Mooney
    • Winner's Pick: Keahi Ikeda
    • Bottom: Mike Beecher and OJ Thomas
    • Eliminated: Mike Beecher
2185"It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint"November 12, 2025 (2025-11-12)

This episode will have a double elimination.

  • Skill of the Week: Adaptability
  • Tattoo Marathon: Artists have six hours to create 4-by-4 inch flash designs. They then have 12 hours to tattoo as many of those designs. They must tattoo these designs on tough spots such as the head, kneecap, armpits, and the butt. All of the tattoos will be judged blind and as one body of work. The quantity and quality of the tattoos matter. As a group, the artists tattooed a total of 71 tattoos. Seth and Isnard tied for the second highest ranked tattoos.
    • Winner: Matt Mooney
    • Bottom: Keahi Ikeda, Kyra Torres, OJ Thomas, and Teneile Napoli
    • Eliminated: Teneile Napoli and OJ Thomas

No More Ink

The official after show, No More Ink, followed the same format as the previous season where past contestants, veteran artists, and various celebrities are interviewed about their careers and opinions on the episode's tattoos by the contestants. The show is hosted by judge Ryan Ashley.

References

  1. ↑ "Paramount+ Reveals Stacked Lineup of Contestants for the Highly Anticipated Return of "Ink Master"". The Futon Critic. October 1, 2025.
  2. ↑ Schneider, Michael (October 1, 2025). "Paramount+ Reveals 'Ink Master' Season 17 Contestants, Premiere Date and First Look (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
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