Ink Master: Hometown Heroes is the seventeenth season of tattoo reality competition show, Ink Master which was announced on October 1, 2025. It premiered on October 29, 2025 with the first three episodes on Paramount+, with the rest of the episodes being released weekly. Good Charlotte vocalist Joel Madden returns as host, while season 8 winner Ryan Ashley, Nikko Hurtado and three-time champion, DJ Tambe, return as judges.
Like the previous season, artists competed against each other for the title of Ink Master as well as a $250,000 cash prize. The season sees 15 artists representing their hometowns to bring home the crown, putting their reputations and regional pride on the line. The contestants participating were announced ahead of the season premiere. This is the second season to have four finalists instead of three.
Matt Mooney was crowned the winner of the season, being the first Australian contestant to win the title, with Isnard Barbosa as the runner-up.
Judging and ranking Judging panel The judging panel is a table of four primary judges. The judges make their final decision by voting to see who had best tattoo of the day, and who goes home.
Elimination Tattoo Winner's pick The artist who wins Best Tattoo of the Day will help the judges choose an artist for elimination.
Contestants Names, experience, and cities stated are at time of filming.
Contestant Name Years ofexperience Hometown OutcomeMatt Mooney17Melbourne, AustraliaWinnerIsnard Barbosa20Dublin, IrelandRunner-upLuka Lajoie18Montreal, Canada3rd placeSeth Holmes12Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania4th placeKeahi Ikeda?Honolulu, Hawaii5th placeKyra Torres6Vancouver, Canada6th placeBoushee Bowie?Tulsa, Oklahoma7th placeAlli Johnson3Kansas City, Missouri8th placeOJ Thomas?Matawan, New Jersey9th placeTeneile Napoli?Gold Coast, Australia10th placeMike Beecher4Gillette, Wyoming11th placeEmily Sabrina Estrada?Watford City, North Dakota12th placeTyler Jenkins?Orlando, Florida13th placeSherri Austria?Los Angeles, California14th placeNadia Most?Mashad, Iran15th place
Contestant progress Contestant Episode2345678910 SAFESAFE HIGHTOP2ADVWinner SAFEHIGHHIGHHIGHTOP2BTM3HIGHADVRunner-up SAFESAFETOP2SAFELOWTOP4 ADVEliminated SAFESAFESAFEHIGH BTM3BTM3ADVEliminated SAFESAFEBTM3BTM4BTM3TOP4BTM3ELIM SAFEHIGHBTM4SAFEELIM SAFESAFESAFESAFEBTM3ELIM SAFEBTM3SAFESAFEELIM SAFELOWBTM3ELIM SAFEHIGHHIGHELIM SAFEBTM3ELIMSAFEELIM ELIM ELIM ELIM
The contestant won Ink Master. The contestant was the runner-up. The contestant was eliminated during the finale. The contestant advanced to the finale. The contestant won Best Tattoo of the Day. The contestant won the Tattoo Marathon. The contestant won their Head-to-Head challenge. The contestant was ranked at the top by the judges during the Blind Critique. The contestant was among the top. The contestant received positive critiques. The contestant received negative critiques. The contestant was in the bottom. The contestant was eliminated from the competition. The contestant quit the competition. The contestant was put in the bottom by the artist who won Best Tattoo of the Day. The contestant was eliminated from the competition. The contestant was put in the bottom by the artist who won Best Tattoo of the Day and was eliminated from the competition. The contestant returned as a guest in the episode.
Episodes
No More Ink The official after show, No More Ink, followed the same format as the previous season where past contestants, veteran artists, and various celebrities are interviewed about their careers and opinions on the episode's tattoos by the contestants. The show is hosted by judge Ryan Ashley.
Episode 1: Jess Hilarious (aired: October 29, 2025) Episode 2: Kandy Muse (aired: October 31, 2025) Episode 3: Amanda Graves (aired: November 2, 2025) Episode 4: The Kid Mero (aired: November 5, 2025) Episode 5: Gian Karle (aired: November 13, 2025) Episode 6: Natasha Cloud (aired: November 19, 2025) Episode 7: DJ Tambe (aired: November 26, 2025) Episode 8: Sammy Sullivan (aired: December 3, 2025) Episode 9: Chef Bruja (aired: December 10, 2025) Episode 10: James Tex (aired: December 17, 2025)
References
External links Official website