What The Cast Of Ink Master Is Doing Today

When Ink Master debuted in 2012, it did so with a modest budget, a less-developed format, and no expectations. Sure, Oliver Peck and Chris Nuñez are rock stars in the tattoo world, but tons of ink lovers didn't know their names then. And though Dave Navarro was already a recognizable rock star, he wasn't necessarily the king of the tattoo world. But the show exploded in popularity, and the rest is heavily-inked history.

Ink Master has changed over the years. In season two, the show brought in the audience, allowing viewers to vote for their favorite tattoos and artists. In season three, the canvases finally got to have their say. As the series went on, the flash challenges have gotten crazier, the competitions have become more cutthroat, and the formats have grown more complex. Teams, shop face-offs, grudges, return canvases — they're all in the Ink Master mix, in addition to the show's spinoffs.

Almost every artist featured on the show has gone on to enjoy an elevated profile. Moreover, it seems like almost every Ink Master contestant who's made it more than a few episodes owns their own shop. Some artists have been brought back for one, two, or three more seasons. Some artists have gotten hosting or judging gigs in spinoffs. Some artists have even explored fields beyond tattooing. Join us as we catch up with the talented artists of Ink Master.

Chris Nuñez has an amazing CV: He's a graffiti artist, a hard-working tattoo artist, and a global traveler. And then there's Miami Ink, the first tattoo reality show to become a major hit, set in the shop that Nuñez co-owned with Ami James. Its main competitor at the time, Inked, ran from 2005 to 2006, while Miami Ink ran from 2005 to 2008. Moreover, one of its artists, Kat Von D, spun off her own show LA Ink, which ran from 2007 to 2011, while Ami James spun off NY Ink from 2011 to 2013. But Nuñez's longest-running show is Ink Master, which began in 2012.

Nuñez is still a judge on Ink Master, and he still owns his own shop. His Paramount Network bio lists him as a partner in Ridgeline Empire, a content and media corporation responsible for Ink Skins and Upset Gentlemen, as well as an animation company with two series in development. Few developments have been released as to these ventures and Nuñez's involvement in the last few years, though Upset Gentlemen's Instagram page shows ties to Nuñez and the company's Miami roots. 

Regardless of where these projects currently stand, they prove that Nuñez obviously plans to continue his artistic journey throughout the world of entertainment, whatever Ink Master's future may be.

Tommy Helm is a much-beloved artist from season one of Ink Master. While he was eliminated before winning, Helm went on to another tattoo-centric show. In fact, Helm showed up on the season two Ink Master finale to announce Tattoo Nightmares, the tattoo cover-up show he hosted from 2012 to 2015. He even offered one of the human canvases a cover-up for a bad pin-up tattoo received during the season. Later, he came back to Ink Masters in season nine to compete with his shopmate Marvin Silva, eventually finishing sixth.

Helm has been concentrating on his own art lately. He's doing well: Helm has over 290,000 followers on Instagram and owns his own shop, Empire State Studio. Recently, with the disappearance of Oliver Peck, Helm has been the subject of social media chatter. He has long been mentioned by many fans as the artist who should have won season one, and some say he's the "odds-on favorite" to serve as replacement. Whether or not he does come back into the Ink Master fold, Helm is still a big player in the world of elite tattooists.

Tattooing is a male-dominated industry, and Ink Master is no exception. Before season seven, the highest-finishing female was Sarah Miller in season two, and then Tatu Baby in season three. No woman finished above ninth place in seasons five and seven. Then came Ryan Ashley and the girls' alliance she formed with Nikki Simpson and Gia Rose. Ashley became the first female Ink Master champion — but that was only the beginning of her journey.

Ashley went on to become a host for Ink Master: Angels and Ink Master: Grudge Match. She also won as a coach on season 12 of Ink Master: Battle of the Sexes, elevating her to the vaunted status of being a two-time winner. She's also been the cover girl for Inked magazine several times. In one issue bearing her on the cover, she announced her relationship with tattoo artist Arlo DiCristina. She later announced their baby on the cover of another issue. They reign as the first family of tattooing. 

Sarah Miller, a renowned portrait artist, had a dramatic showing in her Ink Master debut in season two, full of intense monologues and emotional rollercoasters. She went on to be the season two runner-up, and left a strong impression on everybody. She was also a human canvas in season three, and competed again in season seven, where she came in 10th. She went on to make an appearance in Ink Master: Angels, and became a coach in season 12, Battle of the Sexes. But her TV career has ended up going beyond Ink Master ... sort of.

Miller starred in a Spike TV pilot that was eventually repackaged as a 2014 TV movie, Ink Shrinks. The concept was unique in the tattoo TV world: It sees Miller and two tattoo artists join a team of therapists to give clients tattoos that will help them deal with trauma and psychological problems. Basically, it's rooted in the deep sense of healing a tattoo can give to the person receiving it.

Miller also owns her own shop, Pittsburgh's Wyld Chyld. She gained national attention in 2018 for completing a massive Steelers sleeve that took five years to finish.

Sausage is a much-beloved Ink Master artist. There's a fair bit of social media chatter saying he should have won over Scott Marshall in season four, in fact. According to Sausage's artist profile, he became known as "America's Inkmaster" after the controversial season finale (which ended a season in which he was constantly targeted by other contestants). Sausage returned in season seven, Ink Master: Revenge, ultimately finishing seventh.

Sausage did get some redemption in an epic face-off against his rival Matti Hixson during the live season seven finale. They weren't fighting for $100,000 — just pride. The loser had to get a tattoo from the winner, and Sausage won. Thus, Hixson will have to spend the rest of his life with a tattoo from his rival. Sucks to be him.

Sausage was also brought back for "Merry Ink," and was a coach in season 12. Meanwhile, Sausage has been making Ink Master alliances off-screen. He and season three winner Joey Hamilton have four shops spread over Las Vegas and the Lake Tahoe and Salt Lake regions.

DJ Tambe made Ink Master history by winning seasons nine and 10, an amazing back-to-back feat. Moreover, along with Cleen Rock One and Ryan Ashley, he hosted Ink Master: Grudge Match. His wins even landed him an appearance on Ellen, transcending the tattoo world to make a splash on mainstream TV. Tambe was brought in to give another tattoo to an Ellen superfan who'd already gotten Ellen's face tattooed on his forearm.

No doubt DJ Tambe will continue appearing on Ink Master shows. In the meantime, he's continuing to tattoo at the shop he's worked at for over a decade, Las Vegas' Bad Apple, and at Nashville's Branded Tattoo Company, the shop he founded in 2018 with fellow Ink Master winner Bubba Irwin. According to his website, Tambe is also busy in the worlds of fine art and digital art, and has even designed brand logos. When an artist has this much talent, he'd be a fool not to add some hyphens.