‘Ink Master’ exit interview: Bubba Irwin on judges, challenges and motivation

Bubba Irwin was a man of few words on “Ink Master” season 4 so it should be no surprise that when we did our exit interview with him, he didn’t have a lot to share, but what he did share was very insightful, especially when it comes to trying to figure out exactly what the judges wanted to see out of the artists (we at home don’t always know what they want either).

We had a chance to talk to Bubba (via email interview) and we asked him about the judges critiques, what he found challenging about the competition and the “placement” challenge where he was given a canvas that only had a tiny bit of real estate left for tattooing.

CarterMatt.com – What was the hardest thing about tattooing in a reality competition in comparison to your every day job?

Bubba Irwin – The hardest thing about tattooing in this competition was trying to figure out what the judges want, and also being surrounded by crazy talent.

Did you find the judges criticisms to be helpful or not much use at all?

The judges critiques helped me grow as an artist for sure.. It gave me three different points of view from three completely different ppl.

What really motivated you the most in this competition: The judges, the other artists, or something else?

The other artists were more motivating than anything. Especially because I only like the tattoos that ONE of the judges produces.

For the “placement” challenge you had a human canvas that was basically covered head to toe in tattoos except his rear end: Did you find that to be unfair that everyone else had options?

As far as the butt tattoo goes, I over reacted and I fully admit that I thought it was a poor decision on his part but I should have handled it better.. I should be able to handle anything thrown at me.

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We want to give a special thanks to Bubba for taking the time to chat with us here at CarterMatt.com.