In a live finale that was both fierce and thrilling, Jason Clay Dunn was named winner of Season 5 of Ink Master. Dunn won a cash prize of $100,000, a feature article in the premiere tattoo publication Inked and the ultimate bragging rights title of “Ink Master.”
Cleen Rock One was the runner up, and Bethpage tattoo artist Erik Siuda finished in third. The final three were among 18 of the top tattoo artists from around the country who battled it out all season in permanent ink, competing in various tattoo challenges that not only tested their technical skills, but also their on-the-spot creativity where they had to create and execute an original tattoo on a “human canvas.”
This season of Ink Master was not just about the rivalries created on the show, as each contestant came into the competition with a personal tattoo rival. From convention circuit foes, a former boss versus a former employee, brothers and even two of the most infamous rivals in Ink Master history, this season’s competition was more personal than ever.
Each week’s challenges focused on a different tattoo technique and style. After every challenge the contestants faced a tough panel made up of series host Dave Navarro and judges and renowned tattoo artists Chris Nunez from “Miami Ink” and Oliver Peck from Elm Street Tattoo.
The final three contestants consisting of Dunn, One and Siuda, owner and artist at Ghost Gallery Tattoo in Bethpage, were each assigned their own master canvas. They were sent back to their home bases to complete a 35-hour back-piece tattoo, where they had five, seven-hour sessions with their master canvas to create the best tattoo design of their career.
In the finale Dunn, One and Siuda revealed their master canvases to the judges and America. After the judges reviewed the artwork, Siuda was eliminated from the competition. In the end it came down to Dunn and One with the judges in a close call, ultimately naming Dunn the season 5 winner of Ink Master.
Ink Master will return for a sixth season in the summer of 2015.
