‘Ink Master’ season 7 finale review: Did Anthony Michaels, Cleen Rock One, or Christian Buckingham win?
It has been a shorter run of “Ink Master” season 7, but it has been an intense competition. We’ve had newbies versus veterans and watched as Anthony Michaels and Christian Buckingham picked off all the biggest and baddest names in tattooing – all except for Cleen Rock One! Who will be taking home the title? Let’s find out.
For this finale the competition has changed. Instead of doing on 35 hour back piece the artists will be doing two 24 hour pieces: One will be on the chest and will be a style chosen by the judges to test their weaknesses. The other will be a full sleeve in a style of their choosing to showcase their strengths. One artist will be chosen to be int he final two by America while the other will be chosen by a jury of their eliminated peers.
There were a few events that took place in the finale; specifically, you can head over here to see the results of the Sausage vs. Matti Hixston battle! We’ll ignore much of the rest of the filler, but the latest St. Marq battle was pretty darn funny.
America’s Vote – For the chest piece, the public went with Anthony! No surprise, though it is interesting given that he may have actually had the weakest of the pieces because it seemed as though he didn’t finish his tattoo.
Artists’ Vote – The former contestants went with … Cleen? Well, here’s the issue with Christian being so aggressive all season; nobody wanted to support him as the winner. The real shame here is that we actually do think that he was the best artist on the night, and produced the more consistent work. He should have probably won, and we say that as someone who hasn’t always supported him.
The final decision – It’s Anthony! The fan favorite won! The audience doesn’t have to boo Cleen anymore! Okay, we’re done using exclamation points … at least for now.
Ultimately, the twist for the final two in many ways screwed up what was elsewhere an interesting / entertaining finale; Anthony’s a worthy winner, mostly because we think across the board this season, he’s produced a stronger overall quality of work. Episode grade: B.
What did you think of the winner of this year’s “Ink Master”? Leave us a comment below and tell us what you thought of this season as a whole, the twist and the winner. If you want more news on “Ink Master” including what is coming up on season 8 this fall, then head on over to the link here and read all about it. Also, if you want more great TV news sent your way then be sure to sign up for our weekly CarterMatt newsletter. (Photo: Spike TV)
Anglfire
June 15, 2016 @ 2:33 am
I liked all 3 of these artists this whole season…but truth be told…everyone already knew Anthony would get fan favorite…and they have done fan favorite picks forever so u knew that would not change…the issue here was that they let old contestants pick the second finalist…they f’d it up…the final 2 should have been Anthony and Christian…with Christian winning…Both of Cleen’s pieces were jacked …I would be pissed if those 2 pieces were on me…..As much as I love Cleen’s work usually if I’m being completely honest he should not have been in the finale…It should have been James…with him and Christian battling it out as final 2
Scott P
May 28, 2016 @ 1:04 pm
Finale results were total BS, and in my opinion have completely undermined the credibility of this show. The public vote thing is what ruins the integrity of this sort of competition: it’s never based on the talent, which is what I had thought Inkmaster was all about. It clearly should have been Clean and Christian in the end, Christian’s chest piece was top notch, so was Clean’s. Anthony’s piece looks like an open gut wound from afar, and not even finished?? WTF??? How could that possibly be the winner?? I recall a few season’s ago, I think it was Dave that said the finale was like the Superbowl and the winner was pronounced based on that one masterpiece at the end and not over performance throughout the season. Not the case this year, Anthony only won because he played the “nice” guy, NOT the best artist. I watched this show from it’s beginnings 7 seasons ago, won’t waste my time with season 8. It’s just another American Idol BS teeny bopper twitter show now…
Hialeah T
May 27, 2016 @ 8:24 am
If Anthony’s disqualified, Christian is the winner, period. Honestly, he truly earned the title. He was honest about the alliance, and when tattoo’s sucked, he said it. He was never sneaky and the fact that he has stood behind Anthony with all the controversy just shows the haters what he’s about. Cleen’s the man, but his final pieces looked half-hearted. Christian was the best tattooer of the season, and with his so called ego, he never he was better. In the one on ones, he talked trash, and it was true, they were prey. But, he is an instigator, but I loved all of it. That alliance, and him being a dick, got they both to the finale, and Anthony the crown. And if he’s okay with it, then that’s that. BTW, christian does live feeds often on Facebook. He’s doing one tomorrow night. Find him
Nichole
May 27, 2016 @ 2:11 am
While I liked Anthony as a person throughout the season and thought his tattoos were usually beautiful, when looking at the final pieces, I would have worn Christian’s chest piece and sleeve over either Anthony’s or Cleen’s. He should have been in the final two, and then won the entire competition. He was clearly voted out based on personal opinion, rather than his actual tattoos.
Dizzee
May 26, 2016 @ 5:29 pm
It was a joke. If you do not finish the race how can you win. He does good work but he should have never won. And I also agree the Jury was a disaster as well. I hope everybody learned their lesson.
Wendy Davis-Lupo
May 26, 2016 @ 4:44 am
This is complete BS. First off the judges made a bad decisionand a huge mistake by letting the top two get determined by votes of both the fans and the eliminated contestants. The votes will all be determined by who they like rather than the quality of the tattoo. Second, if they are fair, they would treat all contestants of all seasons the same! If one can’t win bc he/she doesn’t follow the challenge, then none of them should win if they don’t meet the requirements! I believe that they just didn’t want Cleen to win so they came up with whatever BS to choose Anthony. It is not easy to do a full chest or a full sleeve in 24 hours! Cleen finished both, Anthony didn’t finish either, regardless of how much detail he has, it is NOT finished! I think that I will not watch #inkmaster any more, it is all BS!!!! ??????
Nikolette Adams
May 29, 2016 @ 4:33 am
I’m watching next season because of the format, but would not be if it was artist’s competing as it has been since Season 1. There is no way Anthony should have been allowed to remain because his tattoos were not finished. In Cleen’s original season, he walked all over the other artists from episode one and lost because his master canvas, while gorgeous, did not completely meet the challenge – and Peck was the one who insisted Cleen shouldn’t win for that reason. They need clear rules, no more popularity contests and focus on talent first. Next season may well be my last.
Guest
May 26, 2016 @ 2:11 am
I really think that Anthony didn’t deserve to win. How can you be Ink Master when you can’t even finish the two 24 hour tattoos that you had to do? I don’t understand how the judges can have such a double standard when it comes to judging. I mean they sent Matti home in the elimination challenge because he turned in an unfinished cover up piece. But yet Anthony can turn in two unfinished tattoos and he wins the title of Ink Master? I don’t understand the judges thought process. Dave even said that Cleen lost his season because of a technicality and called Anthony out for it. But Oliver and Chris still give him the win over Cleen even though Cleen had no technicalities in either of his pieces this time around and they still didn’t give him the win. I really think the only reason why Oliver and Chris chose Anthony as the winner is because they like him better than Cleen. They didn’t base their decision on overall quality of the tattoos because if they did than Cleen would’ve won. Instead though they chose who they favored over who was the best tattooer out of the two and who really deserved the title of Ink Master. I think Oliver and Chris focused more on Anthony’s back story, not the quality of his tattoos and that’s why they picked him as the winner not because he had the better tattoo. Overall I am very upset with the outcome and winner of this season. I hope that next season the judges rethink their judging process and really focus on the quality of the tattoos and the tattoo artist, not the background story of the artist. CLEEN SHOULD’VE WON!
Wendy Davis-Lupo
May 26, 2016 @ 4:34 am
Totally agree!
me
May 26, 2016 @ 12:36 am
I meant if Cleen didn’t win first time
me
May 26, 2016 @ 12:35 am
If Coleen didn’t win the first time with his technicalities Anthony didn’t deserve to win. Yes Cristian’s was better but because no one liked his snake ways he lost.Anthony will know even if he won people will be talking about him not deserving the win and there’s no glory in an undeserved win.Dave Navarro stood alone explaining why Anthony didn’t deserve the win but the other 2 idiots insisted on Anthony.
Ella Birt
May 25, 2016 @ 8:35 pm
For me, Christian was the clear winner.
ismael
May 25, 2016 @ 5:29 pm
anthony michael vs cleen rock…anthony won
cleen rock has holes in his game and anthony expose them on the head to head challenge. The last two finalist should have been Anthony and Christian. On the head to head…both new guys won.
on the tattoo a sleeve…check both faces on the tattoos by far anthony wins.
Shawn
May 25, 2016 @ 5:18 pm
The Jury ruined it. Christian should have been against Anthony and then Christian should have won. I bet they never do this jury thing again. It ruined the finale.
Derek Justice
May 25, 2016 @ 11:30 pm
I completely agree! They can’t let the public or eliminated contestants call the winners. What a joke.
Manuel Medina
June 16, 2016 @ 3:32 pm
I agree with Christian should have been against Anthony, but it was fair that Anthony won since this guy makes really good tattoos when his experience is only 5 years which is amazing. but Christian should of been the second in place.
CD
May 25, 2016 @ 5:06 pm
Decision was complete BS. Unfinished tattoo never wins tattoo of the day and never should win $100 K. This sets a new precedent. Now it gives future artists an excuse on not finishing tattoo in time allowed. Why are there rules if the rules are going to be ignored? I have watched all 7 seasons and only agreed with 1 winner ( Scott Marshall and that is controversial too). I’m done watching Ink Master. No consistency when it comes to judging and it seems now more like a popularity contest than anything. I am a Cleen fan but to be fair Christian had the better final tattoos. Cleen lost in season 5 to not meeting the challenge yet Anthony wins on unfinished tattoo. Makes no sense at all.
Dahlia
June 1, 2016 @ 11:35 am
I agree. I am a Cleen fan, but I loved Christian’s sleeve. Matti got sent home for a better, unfinished tattoo, than Anthony. Who had not one, but two unfinished tattoos, and more time to work with than Matti. That could never be fair. Cleen probably wouldn’t have one against Christian, but it wouldn’t have hurt his image the way, losing against a rookie now does.
Desiree
June 17, 2016 @ 3:59 pm
I agree 100 persent. All season’s the judge’s kick off good artists for a unfinished tatoo. Dave does not tatoo and he even kept saying he did not agree because of Anthony’s unfinished tattoo . I believe the 2 judge’s got mad because Christian did not get chosen. So they had a little fit andvchose to go with anthony. I to am a big fan of Clean. But Christian and Clean should have been too 2 and winner should have been Clean. You could even see it on Anthony’s face that he looked very nervous about his Dragon tattoo. But it is what it is…
Max Maser
October 14, 2016 @ 7:10 pm
Yep! They eliminated Matti because his tattoo was “unfinished”, so why does Anthony get a pass…and the didn’t finish EITHER of his pieces. That alone should have gotten him automatically eliminated from the final 2.
Mark
May 25, 2016 @ 4:02 pm
The problem is that the producers got cute and thought the finale should be a hybrid of American Idol and Survivor and it bit them in the ass. You could clearly see that the judges were NOT happy that Christian was voted off the island. In fact, when they realized it was going to be between Christian and Cleen they said everything to the jury short of “DO NOT VOTE FOR CLEEN” and it still didn’t work. I can assure you the judges ripped the producers a new one and it won’t be repeated.
Manuel Medina
June 16, 2016 @ 3:33 pm
That is a good point
sop27
May 25, 2016 @ 3:33 pm
If we’re talking about quality of work and completing challenges correctly, Christian performed the best this season and should have won. Just one more example of how life isn’t fair and, even if you work the hardest and do the best job, you still may not end up on top :) I do think Anthony is hands down the best artist (and super, duper hot!), but that doesn’t mean he should have won. Oh well, that’s reality tv for you!
Matt Hoffman
May 25, 2016 @ 2:09 pm
How can you win the contest without completing it. Dave even called the other judges out for it. Finals should have been Cleen and Christian, with Christian winning. Only reason he didn’t make it was because of the alliance crap.
olympus_rival
May 25, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
Had they judged the sleeves first and not the chest pieces, it would have been Anthony and Christian in the final. As much as I like Cleen, his sleeve wasn’t worthy of the title “Ink Master”
PCC53
May 25, 2016 @ 7:30 am
Poor Cleen always the bridesmaid, never the bride. I hope that next season brings in all new artists, and it sounds like it might with the Nunez/Peck battle.
ShackieGiles
May 25, 2016 @ 5:04 am
I am honestly still baffled how Cleen lost in season 5 for exactly what Anthony just won with. I guess we are doing the high school popularity vote. Cleen and Christian should have been the final 2 and unfortunately I hate myself for saying this but Christian should have won. I loved Cleen’s chest tattoo not a huge fan of his sleeve. I loved Anthony’s partial sleeve however I was not a fan of his unfinished chest tattoo at all. I liked Christian’s sleeve but not the chest. I guess each artist has their strengths and weaknesses but a true ink master will meet the challenges and time crunch and Anthony struggled all season with both of them .. ? .. a wonderful tattooist for sure but I feel Cleen or Christian should have been ink master tonight.
Dontae Geathers
May 25, 2016 @ 5:15 am
I somewhat agree with you I feel cleen should’ve won season 5 and as much as I love Anthony his chest piece shouldn’t have won it wasn’t finished ? I feel Christian was robbed of his rightful title due to his peers unfairly judging him against cleen
ShackieGiles
May 25, 2016 @ 5:26 am
I guess it is all about ratings and not so much the tattoos. I personally watch it for the tattoos..
Cleen definitely should have won in season 5..
Anthony is a wonderful artist and he does beautiful work, I am not trying to “hate” on anybody or be disrespectful in any way. I guess his sleeve was technically unfinished as well considering it was the the front of the arm and didn’t go all the way around (it was a gorgeous piece though)
John Devilsfan
May 25, 2016 @ 3:45 pm
I feel Cleen should have probably won on season 5 but let’s not forget that Jason turned in a rocking back piece in that finale. His new school with a Japanese twist was pretty incredible. Can’t argue with the judges picking that one, even though Cleen out tattooed JCD all season.
CHF
May 25, 2016 @ 4:39 am
The judges told Matt Hixson that he couldn’t win if he turned in unfinished work. Now Anthony wins with two unfinished tattoos? The sleeve wasn’t a full sleeve so it is unfinished. Cleen had “filler” because he followed the rules and made a full sleeve.
Is this Ink Master or Whose Line is It Anyway? Everything’s made up and the points don’t matter.
Elizabeth zoda
May 25, 2016 @ 11:50 am
I agree. Anthony should not have won with 2 unfinished tattoos, how can you be ink master when you can’t finish your work, no matter how good it is?. The judges did not follow their rules like they did with Cleen & Matt. I will not watch ink master again!
sandy b
May 29, 2016 @ 4:24 am
The reputation of this show has taken a serious hit. Dave tried to tell them that they were not applying the rules consistently. I liked Anthony as a person but no way he should have won when he could not finish what he started. He is definitely a very good tattoo artist but should not be the winner.
In regards to the chest pieces….while Christian’s piece looked technically good it seemed a bit feminine to me for a guy to wear. Not a fan of that just for that reason.
Big let down this finale!!!!
Wendy Davis-Lupo
May 26, 2016 @ 4:32 am
I agree.. I feel Cleen got cheated out of a win. Anthony didn’t finish either tattoo and yet, somehow, hè won! Totally disappointed!
Makalemae
May 27, 2016 @ 3:24 am
Absolutely! Cleen deserved it after a second go-around, especially against unfinished tattoos! Anthony has done amazing tattoos all season, I will admit, but he dropped the ball in the finale, and that is what counts! Despite how good his tattoos are, does anyone else dislike him as much as I do??? He irritated me all season with his complete lack of personality! I found myself yelling at the tv…….. “Get excited dammit!!!!!!” Listening to that monotone voice all season made me really not want him to win! I know that’s terrible but how can he have absolutely no personality whatsoever? I don’t get it! Even when he won he looked completely un-phased! Just bothers me…….
DS
June 1, 2016 @ 11:38 am
I thought sleeves were made with filler sometimes anyway no? It was still a great tattoo. Anthony should have never been in the final
GiGi
May 25, 2016 @ 4:18 am
Anthony is a “much deserved” winner of Season 7!!!! He came into the competition with a quarter of the experience of 80% of most the other contestants. He wasn’t a keniving creep like Cleen or the ego-manic Christian was, he was a SMART, TALENTED artist and the results made his win the final touch to an amazing season. Bravo Anthony, “……You Go Boy!!!!!! ”
#TeamAnthony. ???
David
May 25, 2016 @ 4:43 am
Didn’t Finish the task.
CHF
May 25, 2016 @ 4:43 am
Exactly right, David.
Makalemae
May 27, 2016 @ 3:26 am
Ugh but so boring
Dahlia
June 1, 2016 @ 11:46 am
Fair is fair, prior artists, with one third of the time Anthony was given, produced better eirk, and was sent home because of the technicality-Unfinished work- As ink master, not one, but TWO unfinished tattoos? How is that a much deserved win? Cleen is not ‘conniving’, Anthony and Christian were, the entire season, they formed an Alliance remember?
If you support Anthony, that’s cool, but be fair. Even Christian should have won over Anthony. Im a Cleen fan, and I think Sausage, Matti, James, any of the Vets could still win over Anthony.
If Picasso could have calmed down, he could have won over Anthony
Max Maser
October 14, 2016 @ 7:13 pm
And won with only 80% and 50% (respectively) of his tattoos finished? That’s not a win, that’s a GIFT!
Dontae Geathers
May 25, 2016 @ 4:09 am
I honestly feel like this review is completely right going into the finale I was a #antmikes fan and I would’ve been incredibly upset if cleen won I feel Anthony only truly won thanks to his fans me included overall I feel Christian should be ink master but his personality did not give him the support of his peers and sadly cleen beat him to the top two Christian sleeve was absolutely gorgeous compared to all the other sleeves and personally I’m glad Cleen lost bc I don’t know if it’s just me not being too much of a new school fan but I really don’t like his work and I’m terribly upset he even made to the finale instead of James bc I feel James would have won playing smart by making his tattoo a lot more legible and able to be read but what’s done is done and I seriously have nothing but admiration for Anthony Michaels with 5yrs experience under his belt I feel if he did have as much experience as everyone else his victory would’ve only been more assured but regardless he is the youngest most inexperienced and the first black artist to win ink master so congrats Anthony
David
May 25, 2016 @ 4:43 am
He didn’t finish the tattoo.
Dontae Geathers
May 25, 2016 @ 4:58 am
But his unfinished tattoo was better than cleens
Warren Smith
May 25, 2016 @ 10:51 am
And Christian’s was better than both, unfortunately
parkplace06
May 25, 2016 @ 4:30 pm
when looking at the chest piece cleen and christian should have advanced and then looking at the sleeve christian should have won…
Chris
May 25, 2016 @ 2:46 pm
It’s easy to put better quality into a piece if you aren’t going to finish it. How much better would Cleen’s tattoos have been if he had covered less area than the rules stated?
John Devilsfan
May 25, 2016 @ 3:42 pm
Lost my breath trying to read that… Punctuation is your friend.
Agreed that Anthony was deserving. I wanted him to win, however when I saw his unfinished chest piece I figured there was no way he would win. I had confidence that the fans would vote him to the top 2 because he is clearly a huge fan favorite. However once the judges had a say I figured they would penalize him heavily for not finishing the chest. I don’t think his sleeve is incomplete. He did not cover as much area however it is definitely a completed piece.
The judges really did not like Cleen’s sleeve. It was not horrible however I can understand their gripe. Also, as Oliver pointed out, Cleen’s chest piece was not laid out well. The canvas’ left nipple was sticking through onto the shoulder of the woman tattooed on him. Definitely a weak spot.
Overall, I think what it boiled down to is this. Throughout the entire series incomplete pieces have been penalized. However it’s usually the tie breaker. If two pieces are pretty close in judging they will always side with the piece that is more complete. In this case I think Anthony’s artistry was heads and shoulders above Cleen’s. The fact that his chest piece was incomplete was not enough to knock him down below Cleen. Had Christian made it through to the end I’m pretty sure the judges would have given him the nod. I’m surprised Anthony won but I am happy since he showed so much talent all season long. The kid is a beast and he has so much room to improve, which is scary.