Top 10 Most Controversial Ink Master Eliminations

Ink Master is a cutthroat competition, and anyone who's watched the show knows it. Emotions run high, artistic visions clash, and sometimes, the judges' decisions leave you stunned. Ever watch an episode and wonder how on earth a great artist could be eliminated while another, seemingly less talented, one skates through?

Many Ink Master eliminations have fueled debate and sparked outrage in the tattoo community. Some fans believe certain artists got a raw deal, whether due to personal clashes with the judges, a misinterpreted challenge, or just plain bad judging.
The Top Ten
1 Jamie Davies - Ink Master 2

The challenge was dimension, and the artists were to tattoo a design featuring an animal. Jamie's tattoo lacked dimension, and Sarah's tattoo had a huge black spot, making her tattoo look like a cover-up. They were both in the bottom two for these reasons.

The reason why Jamie had the most controversial elimination was because guest judge Forrest Cavacco judged him not because of the tattoo he did, but the fact that Jamie had no tattoos of any sort.

For a group of people who are always saying they are constantly being pre-judged and discriminated against, eliminating the most well-rounded artist on the show seems hypocritical. How can all those judges just openly discriminate against a guy who should have been in the finals? They should be ashamed, especially that guest judge Forrest, who obviously can't take a joke. (Jamie, Tommy, and Shane are the only artists from that season I would let tattoo me.)

2 Tommy Helm - Ink Master 1

People love Tommy because of Tattoo Nightmares. Without that, this loss wouldn't be any more controversial than any other Ink Master finale. While there's no denying that Tommy's finale pieces were incredible, calling him the best overall competitor is a stretch. Shane won 3 out of 7 tattoos of the day, while Tommy won 1. Shane was considered to be in the top for 5 out of 7, Tommy only 2 out of 7. Shane was never in the bottom, and Tommy was once. You may personally be a fan of Tommy's work (and I consider myself to be. He's an excellent artist), but that doesn't mean Shane was any less deserving of his win. As far as being "well-rounded," the only question with Shane seemed to be whether he would be able to execute as well in color, and he showed he was.

3 James Danger - Ink Master 3

James was eliminated on texture day, but not because of a tattoo he did. He was eliminated because his canvas had a fight with him, and James, instead of trying to win over his client, said "Maybe I am not the artist for you" and let her walk off.

4 Craig Foster - Ink Master 3

Craig was eliminated on proportion day. Craig, as I said, was eliminated on proportion day when his tattoo was proportionally correct but very unappealing and showed weaknesses in his black and gray. The artist had to tattoo pin-ups. The proportions on Tatu Baby's and Joshua's tattoos were off. Not to mention, Joshua's tattoo had more technical issues than Craig's. In the end, Craig was sent home. Even Jime Litwalk, the runner-up, said on Twitter, "Wrong choice!"

He should have been one of the final 3, not eliminated. Tatu Baby admitted she should go home at this elimination, yet they kept her. Extremely stupid, they sent home one of the best artists of that season to keep drama baby.

5 Katherine "Tatu Baby" Flores - Ink Master 2

Tatu Baby was in both Season 2 and 3, but her controversial elimination was in Ink Master 2. She was up against Sebastian for the final 3 spot and, despite having some of the least amount of experience in the game, she showed her talents in multiple tattoos. But it was shocking when, out of nowhere, Sebastian was selected for the final 3 spot.

Even Sarah Miller, her rival in the game, and Steve Tefft, the future winner of the game, both said Tatu Baby should be in the finals.

Can't believe how long her mediocrity was allowed to continue. It feels like someone wanted Tatu Baby to win so badly they eliminated more competent contestants in the hopes that her next tat would be better, or maybe the next one... or the next one...

6 Kyle Dunbar - Ink Master 3

Kyle was eliminated on all skills day. He was up against Tatu Baby for the final seat. Kyle proved to the judges he could do what they asked for, whereas Tatu Baby did not. However, Kyle was eliminated because of the tattoo he was able to create himself, because it was unreadable.

However, Tatu Baby was having a bad season, so Kyle not making the finals caused a lot of uproar. Kyle will be in the upcoming Season 4 of Ink Master due to the voters.

Lost respect for the judges. Tatu Baby should have been out long ago. She didn't even finish the first tat and she got to stay. It wasn't talent with a tat gun that kept her there.

7 Jackie Jennings - Ink Master 3

Jackie was eliminated on consistency day. The artists had to tattoo DC comic book super villains. Jackie was given Two-Face and made major alterations on the tattoo, like flipping Two-Face around, making him burn on the wrong side of the body, and having many linework issues. Whereas Jime did not even attempt a comic book character and instead did a new school version of Poison Ivy. In the end, Jackie was eliminated from the game.

8 Bili Vegas - Ink Master 1

Bili was one of the better ones. Sure, it was further in, but his tattoo was not the worst of the day. There's a reason everyone was happy he was gone: he was good.

Bili was eliminated on color day. Bili was eliminated against Lêa for him putting the time of his birth on the tattoo, not to mention having a design that didn't look like the traditional tattoo they wanted. Whereas Lêa's tattoo had the same issues.

9 Joshua Hibbard - Ink Master 3

All I can say is motorboat... Laugh out loud

10 Sarah Miller - Ink Master 2

Sarah was the runner-up on Ink Master 2. Sarah herself had a lot of debate on her hands. After being in the bottom from Dimension day, she was said to have skated into the finals, whereas others say she got the place she deserved.

The Contenders
11 Kay Kutta - Ink Master 2

Kay was eliminated on contrast day. Kay's Star Wars tattoo had poor contrast, and when he was eliminated against Mark, the viewers were split, saying either he should have stayed or he should have been eliminated sooner.

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