‘Ink Master’ Renewed For Season 10 At Spike

Ahead of its Season 9 summer premiere, Spike TV has renewed its hit tattoo-competition series Ink Master for a 10th season and given the green light to a female-focused special, Ink Master Angels.

Ink Master has received a 16-episode order and will go into production later this year for premiere on the rebranded Paramount Network in 2018.

The hourlong special Ink Master Angels will feature four of Season 8’s top female competitors – Ryan Ashley, Kelly Doty, Nikki Simpson and Gia Rose – as they travel the country and go head to head with some of America’s most talented tattoo artists in a variety of challenges. The special will debut later this year.

Each week, Ink Master puts artists through a series of tattoo challenges that not only test the artists’ technical skills but also their on-the-spot creativity, as they must create and execute an original tattoo on a “human canvas.” After every challenge, the contestants face a panel made up of series host Dave Navarro and tattoo artists Chris Nunez (Miami Ink) and Oliver Peck (Elm Street Tattoo).

“I’m so pleased to see Ink Master reach a milestone 10th season as it continues to be a great ratings driver for the network,” said Chachi Senior, SVP Original Programming, Spike. “The franchise has shown such amazing growth with our female audience that it is a natural progression to launch a female-fronted stand-alone competition, as well.”

Season 9 of Ink Master debuts this June along with new episodes of spinoff series Ink Master: Redemption.

Ink Master, Ink Master Angels and Ink Master: Redemption are produced for Spike by Truly Original, a subsidiary of Endemol Shine North America, with Glenda Hersh, Steven Weinstock and Andrea Richter serving as executive producers.