‘Ink Master’ exclusive: Sarah Miller on elimination, judges, changes in competition
Going into “Ink Master” season 7, we definitely felt as though Sarah Miller was one of the favorites to win. As a matter of fact, we’ve long said that she is one of our favorite contestants to not win the show over the first six seasons.
So to see her return to the competition was exciting, but at the same time, having it be so short-lived was a a shock we didn’t see coming; nonetheless, we were excited to chat with Sarah in an email interview this week about her experience, whether or not the judges were especially tough on her, and also how the competition has changed over the years since her first appearance.
CarterMatt – We are still stunned that you were eliminated this week: Were you also shocked to be sent home over any of the other tattoos?
Sarah Miller – I actually was extremely shocked that I was eventually the one they settled on to be sent home. As a portrait artist I could see my tattoo wasn’t necessary the worst. The technique I did on the tattoo didn’t translate well when the picture was taken immediately after of the tattoo. I have a habit for tattooing for longevity not just to take a picture.
You mentioned on the show that you felt the judges were being hard on your work: Why do you think the judges pushed so hard on your tattoos?
I’m honestly kind of baffled. If I were to guess it was how I performed on Sirens of Ink where I dominated every challenge. I came out of the gate swinging. I don’t really understand why they pushed so hard. There was no explanation given to me.
We (and a lot of other fans out there) felt that you were robbed of the Ink Master title in season 2 (as great as Steve Tefft is): Did you feel more pressure to bring home the title this time as opposed to last time?
This is not a yes or no answer for me. Yes, I did feel a lot more pressure to make it toward the end and bring home a win. A huge win would have been amazing for my shop in Pittsburgh. But I don’t really need that title to have won. I compete, I travel internationally. I competed just last weekend at United Ink Tattoo expo, against best artists of the world and took home “Best of The Day” AND “best large color portrait” awards.
Did you find that the competition changed a lot from when you were on season 2 to now?
It was night and day. Completely night and day. In my season we had an unspoken rule of honor. Whoever got the skull pick would give the tattoo choices in a way that would challenge each artist and make them feel they could produce the best work they possibly could. No one wanted to win by cutting the legs out from under them. Not because we were playing the game.
What did you think of the twist this season having 8 newbies and 8 veterans brought in each week?
I liked the twist. I thought it was interesting. Not like an all stars season or anything. I didn’t really like the way one person was brought back every week though. The people who lived in the house longer had made alliances and when you walked in you felt like they didn’t even want you there. It was like a shark tank. There was no way to be able to settle down when you had everyone coming at you from every side.
If clients want to book you for a tattoo, what’s the best way to go abut doing that?
Go to my website www.sarahmillertattoos.com there’s a form there “how to make an appointment”. They can upload pictures, etc. That will go to my email and my assistant makes my bookings.
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We want to give a special thanks to Sarah for her time since we know how popular she is!