Ink Master season 9: Can Old Town Ink, any other veteran team win?

Is it possible that a veteran artist could win Ink Master season 9? It’s a question that many of us may be asking at the moment, but it’s also one that could be an interesting point of contention the longer that the season goes on.

If there is a likely veteran winner at the moment, it would have to be the folks over at Old Town Ink. Bubba Irwin and DJ Tambe have been around almost the entire competition, and we do think that they’ve done a wonderful array of different tattoos. We don’t care that one of them seems to be stronger than the other in terms of the body of work; this season is a competition about team work (you win as a shop o r lose as a shop) and together they’ve won plenty of challenges. They’ve also created some of the most beautiful tattoos that we’ve seen so far this season.

Beyond them, you can argue that things get a little bit fuzzier.

Basilica Tattoo – Out of the other veteran teams, this is the one that has been around the longest. Still, they missed several weeks! The biggest reason that we think they’ve got a shot is because they’re getting a ton of screen time because of Christian Buckingham — it’s a little redundant to praise his artistry given that everyone left on the show is a fantastic artist.

Black Cobra Tattoo – They are our favorite team, and we love that they’re focused by and large on the competition rather than arguments with the other artists or stirring the pot too much. They’re great at what they do, and so far, they’ve done an incredible job with all of the challenges — they’ve also won two Flash Challenges in a row.

Empire State Studio – We don’t think anyone questions their ability; in addition to them only being on two episodes, we’re also very concerned about the relative lack of screen time. They’ve been under the radar more so than anyone so far. We just don’t know if the show’s giving them the sort of edit you see from a winner most of the time.

Golden Skull Tattoo – Hey, it’s Cleen Rock One and Aaron Is. They’re both great artists, but more than that, you’ve got someone who has come close to winning twice. They already got an Elimination Tattoo win and you can easily say that if the show wants to finally give Cleen his crown, this is their chance to do that. Yet, is everyone going to be that happy seeing someone win who wasn’t around for the majority of the season so far? The main argument against that is that you can say that he earned his spot thanks to previous seasons … but we’re not sure the rules carry over as though Ink Master has a rollover plan.

What do you want to see on Ink Master season 9 the rest of the way, and do you think that a veteran team could or should win? Share in the comments!

Meanwhile, head over to the link here in the event you want some other news when it comes to the show. (Photo: Spike.)