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Behind Reality TV

Ink Master season 14 renewal confirmed

ink master

Season 13 of Ink Master was plagued with misfortunes, but the series has been renewed for a season 14; fans now await the official release date.

Overview

The phrase, “when it rains, it pours,” is particularly applicable to season 13 of Paramount’s Ink Master; from a public scandal that saw one of its main judges fired, to the show being cancelled by the network due to internal decisions – it certainly did pour.

The decision to cancel the show and the fact that Ink Master would not return for a season 14 seemed definite for some time during 2020.

However, it was subsequently confirmed that the show was greenlit for a new season. Now fans need to wait until Paramount confirms the release date for season 14, which will mark 10 years of the show.

What is Ink Master?

Ink Master was one of Paramount’s popular reality format shows which premiered in 2012.

The show was popular throughout its 13-season run, and the premise was, “Ten of the country’s most creative and skilled tattoo artists are judged by icons of the tattoo world. They compete for a hundred thousand dollars and the title of ‘INK MASTER’”.

The show was anchored by its resident judges, Dan Navarro, Chris Núñez, and Oliver Peck. Though it is currently uncertain whether the judges will return for season 14.

This is as a result of Oliver Peck’s dismissal from the show during season 13, due to an inflammatory and very controversial image of him resurfacing.

Ink Master season 14 confirmed without a release date

Ink Master season 14 was confirmed in February 2021 by Paramount according to reports. Confirmation of the show’s upcoming new season came as a surprise for fans, as the network had initially cancelled the show in 2020, after its contentious thirteenth season.

The season ended earlier than previous seasons with a total of 15 episodes compared to the expected 16 episodes.

The decision to cancel the show was not made as a result of the show’s actions, but it was made by Paramount. Reportedly, in 2020, Paramount was looking to shift its programming away from reality-format content to more scripted and fictional content.

As a result, Ink Master was one of the casualties, and was cancelled. But the show’s fans seemingly raised enough attention to have the return. However, the return will be without resident judge, Oliver Peck.

Why was Oliver Peck fired from Ink Master?

Oliver Peck was one of the main judges on Ink Master and was a part of the show since its inception in 2012.

However, during season 13, Peck was fired from the show with immediate effect when images of the personality and tattoo artist in blackface resurfaced.

Following his dismissal, Peck did release an apology via Instagram in a since deleted post that in part stated, “I want to profusely apologize for my completely inappropriate, insensitive, and immature behavior.”

Going on to add, “I hope that I’ve matured a great deal since then and I’m deeply sorry for everyone I’ve offended.”

Why is Ink Master season 13 only 15 episodes?

Ink Master’s shortened season 13 with a total of 15 episodes as opposed to the expected 16 episodes, did not have anything to do with the show’s cancellation or Oliver Peck’s dismissal.

Peck continued to feature on the show following his dismissal, because by the time he was dismissed, the show had already started with the production of the season.

However, he did not appear in the later episodes. As such, the reason for the omission of the grand finale with a live audience is due to the pandemic, which prohibited the show from creating the expected finale with a live audience to name season 13’s Ink Master.

When is Ink Master season 14 set for release?

Despite the reported confirmation of the imminent return of Ink Master’s season 14 in February 2021, to date, there has been no confirmed release date for the upcoming new season. As a result, there has been no trailer, nor any details on who will be returning to the judging table in season 14.

Fans believe that the idea of the series returning in 2022 could be mutually beneficial, as fans get a new season of the show, and the show could celebrate its return with their 10-year anniversary since the show’s first premiere.

Final thoughts

In 2020, Ink Master faced a streak of bad luck for three reasons. Firstly, there was the dismissal of Oliver Peck following his blackface scandal, and then there was Paramount cancelling the show, and lastly, Ink Master not being able to shoot the live grand finale due to the pandemic.

However, the show’s luck has changed in light of the renewal of season 14, though the returning cast and when the new season will officially be released has yet to be revealed, but fans are hopeful it will be in 2022 to celebrate 10 years of the show.