''Miami Ink'' was an American

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

that ran on TLC from 2005–2008 and follows the events that took place at a

tattoo shop A tattoo artist (also tattooer or tattooist) is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a "tattoo shop", "tattoo studio" or "tattoo parlour". Tattoo artists usually learn their craft via an ...

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...

. The show led to several

spin-offs Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

, including the shows ''

LA Ink ''LA Ink'' is an American reality television show on TLC that follows the events of the High Voltage Tattoo (and, later in the series, American Electric) tattoo studios in Los Angeles, California. The spin-off of TLC's '' Miami Ink'', premiere ...

'', '' London Ink'', ''

NY Ink ''NY Ink'' is an American reality documentary television series that debuted June 2, 2011 on TLC. TLC renewed the series for a second season in August 2011, also noting that the series' first season averaged 1.3 million viewers per episode. Fil ...

'', and ''Madrid Ink'', most of which were also broadcast on TLC.

History

The shop, which opened in 2004, was called 305 Ink (referencing a Miami area code) before the show started. Later changed to Love Hate Tattoo, it is co-owned by tattoo artists

Ami James Ami James ( he, עמי ג'יימס; born 6 April 1972) is an Israeli-American tattoo artist, television personality and entrepreneur. Early life James was born in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh (then occupied by Israel). His American-bo ...

and Chris Núñez, and at the time of the show, also featured artists

Chris Garver Chris Garver (born September 11, 1970) is an American tattoo artist and television personality, best known for his appearance on the TLC reality television show ''Miami Ink''. Biography Garver was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, w ...

Darren Brass Darren Brass is an American tattoo artist and television personality. He was featured in the reality television show ''Miami Ink''. Information Darren Brass cites Chris Garver, Joe Vegas, Bob Roberts, and Ed Hardy Don Ed Hardy (born 1945) ...

Luke Wessman Luke Wessman is an American tattoo artist and designer.Lauren Nostro“Interview: Luke Wessman Talks Tattoo Culture, TLC's NY Ink, and Tattooing Rappers,”''Complex'', October 16, 2012. He was featured on the TLC reality shows ''Miami Ink'' and ...

, Morgan Pennypacker, Tim Hendricks and

Yoji Harada (6 August 1972 – 27 March 2019) was a Japanese tattoo artist and musician who gained fame from his appearances in the TLC reality show ''Miami Ink ''Miami Ink'' was an American reality show that ran on TLC from 2005–2008 and follows ...

. Kat Von D joined the shop during the show's first season while Brass had an injured arm. She then returned as a full-time crew member for three seasons, after which she moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and landed her own ''Miami Ink'' spin-off, ''

,'' which premiered in August 2007. The first 6 episodes of ''Miami Ink'' were directed by

David Roma David Roma is a television producer, filmmaker, musician and activist, born in 1974. The son of 1950s and 1960s Capitol Records recording artist Frank Roma and grandson of a classical pianist, David spent his early years until the age of 21 devel ...

, an influential member of creating the format. CastofMiami-Ink

Each episode featured multiple customers and detailed their backstories and motivations for choosing their

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

s. In addition, there was some focus on the personal lives of the artists. Most of the episodes are narrated by James, with Núñez occasionally filling in. The main musical theme for the show is "

Funky Kingston ''Funky Kingston'' is the name of two albums by Jamaican reggae group Toots and the Maytals. The first was issued in Jamaica and the United Kingdom in 1973 on Dragon Records, a subsidiary label of Island Records, owned by Chris Blackwell. A differe ...

" by

Toots & the Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...

. The show has on occasion featured such guests as Paul Teutul Sr. from ''

American Chopper ''American Chopper'' is an American reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul Sr. (frequently called ''Senior''), and his son Paul Teutul Jr. (also kno ...

''.

''NY Ink''

Since ''Miami Ink'' went off air, James moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 2011 and opened a tattoo studio there, named the Wooster St. Social Club. He teamed up with

and

Charlie Corwin Charlie Corwin is an American media executive and a producer of numerous movies and television series. He is the former CEO of Imagine Entertainment and former Co-Chairman and CEO of Endemol Shine North America, Endemol Shine Americas. His produc ...

to detail the proceedings in the shop on ''

'', which premiered June 2, 2011 on TLC.

Celebrity customers

Frank Iero Frank Anthony Iero, Jr. (, born October 31, 1981) is an American musician who is the rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist of the rock band My Chemical Romance and post-hardcore band Leathermouth. He is also the guitarist in the metal band L.S ...

MCR Guitarist * Brantley Gilbert, Country Singer * Jack Brizuela, Staygold tattoo studio PH *

A.B. Quintanilla Abraham Quintanilla III (born December 13, 1963), known professionally as A.B. Quintanilla III or A.B. Quintanilla, is an American record producer, songwriter and musician, and the older brother of singer Selena, known as "Honorific nicknames i ...

, Mexican-American musician and producer *

Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain (; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. Bourdai ...

, celebrity chef *

Bam Margera Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera ( ; born September 28, 1979) is an American former professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s as one of the stars of the MTV reality ...

, professional skateboarder and actor * Chris Jacobs, host of TLC's ''

Overhaulin' ''Overhaulin'' is an American automotive reality television series. The show originally ran for five seasons between 2004 and 2008 on TLC. After a four-year hiatus, sixth season premiered on October 2, 2012 on Velocity and Discovery (Cablevision ...

'' *

Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show '' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014), for which he won ...

, actor and comedian *

DJ Skribble Scott Ialacci, professionally known as DJ Skribble (born October 10, 1968) is an American DJ, producer, remixer, radio personality and actor. In the early 1990s, he teamed up with Kamron, ATA, Firstborn and Tommy Never in Young Black Teenagers ...

, DJ *

Evan Seinfeld Evan Seinfeld is an American musician and actor, as well as a director, photographer, writer, and former pornographic actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and founding member of the hardcore/metal band Biohazard. Since leavi ...

, vocalist for

Biohazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bi ...

and

adult film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include erotic ...

star * Gianna Lynn, adult film star * H₂O, band *

Harold Hunter __NOTOC__ Harold Atkins Hunter (April 2, 1974 – February 17, 2006) was an American professional skateboarder and actor. He played the role of Harold in Larry Clark's 1995 film ''Kids''. Career Hunter was born in New York City and grew up in ...

, skateboarder * Irvin Mayfield, Trumpetuer * Ivy Supersonic, fashion designer * Jesse Hughes, musician of

Eagles of Death Metal Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998. Founded by Jesse Hughes (vocals, guitar) and Josh Homme (drums), the band also includes a wide range of other musicians who perform both on the band' ...

* Joe Hursley, Lead Singer of The Ringers * Johnny Messner, actor *

Leo Nocentelli Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band The Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as "Cissy Strut" and "Hey Po ...

, Guitarist for The Meters *

Lloyd Banks Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. After th ...

, rapper * Mark Zupan, athlete *

MickDeth Mick Richard Morris (March 9, 1978 – June 3, 2013) better known as MickDeth, was an American bassist and guitarist. He was a part of the bands Eighteen Visions, Clear, and the Misfits cover band Die Die My Darling. Biography He was rais ...

, bassist for

Eighteen Visions Eighteen Visions is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in October 1995. The band broke up in April 2007, less than a year after their major label debut was released through Epic and Trustkill Records. After ov ...

Monica Martin Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

, bodybuilder * Mr. J. Medeiros, Emcee/Producer *

Paul Teutul Sr. Paul John Teutul (born May 1, 1949) is the founder of Orange County Choppers, a manufacturer of custom motorcycles and the focus of the reality television series ''American Chopper''. Teutul first appeared on the show with his sons Paul Teutul ...

, Owner of Orange County Choppers ''

'' * Paula Meronek, TV personality from '' The Real World: Key West'' *

Phil Varone Phil Varone (born October 15, 1967) is an American drummer. He is a founding and former member of the band Saigon Kick from 1988–1996 and from 2012–2015. While out of Saigon Kick for several years, some of which Saigon Kick wasn't activ ...

, drummer of

Skid Row A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...

and

Saigon Kick Saigon Kick is an American hard rock band from Miami, Florida, that formed in 1988. When they recorded their debut album and second album the band consisted of lead vocalist Matt Kramer, lead guitarist Jason Bieler, bassist Tom Defile, and dru ...

* Reginald 'Fieldy' Arvizu, bassist for

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

Roger Miret Rogelio de Jesus Miret (born June 30, 1964) is a Cuban American musician. He is the vocalist for New York hardcore band Agnostic Front, street punk group Roger Miret and the Disasters, and hardcore band The Alligators. Agnostic Front are consi ...

, vocalist for

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980–19 ...

Sunny Garcia Vincent Sennen "Sunny" Garcia (born January 14, 1970) is an American professional surfer. He grew up in Waianae, Hawaii and, after leaving school, debuted on the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach, Hawaii, Sandy Beach, Oahu, beating the 1984 champ To ...

, pro surfer * Syrus Yarbrough, TV personality from '' The Real World: Boston''

Episode list

Season 1 (10 episodes) * Season 1 Episode 1 - Five Friends (Prem. 7/19/05) * Season 1 Episode 2 - Never Forget (Prem. 7/26/05) * Season 1 Episode 3 - In Memory Of… (Prem. 8/2/05) * Season 1 Episode 4 - Growing Up (Prem. 8/9/05) * Season 1 Episode 5 - The Apprentice (Prem. 8/16/05) * Season 1 Episode 6 - The Family (Prem. 8/23/05) * Season 1 Episode 7 - Going For The Gold (Prem. 9/6/05) * Season 1 Episode 8 - Bad Break (Prem. 9/13/05) * Season 1 Episode 9 - Kat's In The Groove (Prem. 9/20/05) * Season 1 Episode 10 - Finding Balance (Prem. 9/27/05) Season 2 (11 episodes) * Season 2 Episode 11 - More Money, More Problems (Prem. 1/10/06) * Season 2 Episode 12 - Step up or Step Out (Prem. 1/17/06) * Season 2 Episode 13 - Weathering The Storm (Prem. 1/31/06) * Season 2 Episode 14 - Party All The Time (Prem. 1/24/06) * Season 2 Episode 15 - Kat's Return, Ami's Ride (Prem. 2/7/06) * Season 2 Episode 16 - The Ink That Binds (Prem. 3/14/06) * Season 2 Episode 17 - While Ami's Away...(Prem. 2/28/06) * Season 2 Episode 18 - Rock 'n' Roll All Night (Prem. 3/7/06) * Season 2 Episode 19 - Goodbye Freedom (Prem. 4/4/06) * Season 2 Episode 20 - Made In Japan (Prem. 4/11/06) * Season 2 Episode 21 - Hawaii (Prem. 1/8/06) Season 3 (13 episodes) * Season 3 Episode 1 - Yoji's Initiation (Prem. 7/25/06) * Season 3 Episode 2 - Saver or Spender (Prem. 7/18/06) * Season 3 Episode 3 - Woman In a Man's World (Prem. 8/1/06) * Season 3 Episode 4 - The Ultimate Job Interview (Prem. 8/8/06) * Season 3 Episode 5 - We're All Family (Prem. 8/15/06) * Season 3 Episode 6 - Kat The Party Machine (Prem. 8/22/06) * Season 3 Episode 7 - Garver's Ultimatum (Prem. 8/29/06) * Season 3 Episode 8 - Kat: A Fish Out Of Water (Prem. 9/5/06) * Season 3 Episode 9 - Ami's Bad Side (Prem. 9/12/06) * Season 3 Episode 10 - Kat's Niche (Prem. 9/19/06) * Season 3 Episode 11 - Lloyd Banks and the Rotten Apple (Prem. 10/10/06) * Season 3 Episode 12 - Kat & Ami Tattoo The Troops (Prem. 10/17/06) * Season 3 Episode 13 - Bye-Bye Bridgette (Prem. 10/24/06) Season 4 (20 episodes) * Season 4 Episode 1 - Sink Or Swim (Prem. 10/31/06) * Season 4 Episode 2 - The Jeep (Prem. 11/07/06) * Season 4 Episode 3 - History Of The Circus Sideshow (Prem. 11/28/06) * Season 4 Episode 4 - A Disgruntled Yoji (Prem. 12/5/06) * Season 4 Episode 5 - Von D Family Bonding (Prem. 12/12/06) * Season 4 Episode 6 - The Car Star (Prem. 12/19/06) * Season 4 Episode 7 - Garver's Injury (Prem. 12/26/06) * Season 4 Episode 8 - Battle Of The Apprentices (Prem. 1/23/07) * Season 4 Episode 9 - Shop Party (Prem. 1/30/07) * Season 4 Episode 10 - Yoji's Big Move (Prem. 2/6/07) * Season 4 Episode 11 - Family Values Tour (Prem. 2/13/07) * Season 4 Episode 12 - Nobody Likes a Quitter (Prem. 2/27/07) * Season 4 Episode 13 - Bella Boot Camp (Prem. 3/6/07) * Season 4 Episode 14 - Kat and Oliver Quality Time (Prem. 3/13/07) * Season 4 Episode 15 - Back To Their Roots (Prem. 3/20/07) * Season 4 Episode 16 - Kat's Cooking (Prem. 3/27/07) * Season 4 Episode 17 - Yoji's Dilemma (Prem. 4/3/07) * Season 4 Episode 18 - American Chopper (Prem. 5/1/07) * Season 4 Episode 19 - Ami and Nunez Buy A Bar (Prem. 4/24/07) * Season 4 Episode 20 - Tensions Rock The Shop (Prem. 5/8/07) Season 5 (13 episodes) * Season 5 Episode 1 - New Artist Search (Prem. 6/12/07) * Season 5 Episode 2 - Staff, Staff, Staff (Prem. 6/19/07) * Season 5 Episode 3 - Old Friends (Prem. 6/26/07) * Season 5 Episode 4 - Facing Changes (Prem. 7/3/07) * Season 5 Episode 5 - Garver Gets Commissioned (Prem. 7/17/07) * Season 5 Episode 6 - Viva Las Vegas (Prem. 7/24/07) * Season 5 Episode 7 - Nothing Lasts Forever (Prem. 7/31/07) * Season 5 Episode 8 - No Regrets (Prem. 11/6/07) * Season 5 Episode 9 - Ami's Anger (Prem. 11/13/07) * Season 5 Episode 10 - Skate Or Die (Prem. 11/20/07) * Season 5 Episode 11 - Speed Racer (Prem. 11/27/07) * Season 5 Episode 12 - Makin' The Big Leagues (Prem. 12/4/07) * Season 5 Episode 13 - Through Thick and Thin (Prem. 12/11/07) Season 6 (13 episodes) * Season 6 Episode 1 - Make or Break (Prem. 4/24/08) * Season 6 Episode 2 - We Are Family (Prem. 5/1/08) * Season 6 Episode 3 - Tim's Pinups (Prem. 5/8/08) * Season 6 Episode 4 - House Hunting (Prem. 5/15/08) * Season 6 Episode 5 - Ami Animates (Prem. 5/22/08) * Season 6 Episode 6 - Blast Off! (Prem. 6/5/08) * Season 6 Episode 7 - Dre's Stylin' (Prem. 6/12/08) * Season 6 Episode 8 - Ami and Yoji Come To Blows (Prem. 7/3/08) * Season 6 Episode 9 - Dre Demands Respect (Prem. 7/10/08) * Season 6 Episode 10 - Ruthless and Toothless (Prem. 7/24/08) * Season 6 Episode 11 - New Orleans Special (Prem. 8/7/08) * Season 6 Episode 12 - Hanging With The Harada's (Prem. 8/14/08) * Season 6 Episode 13 - A Baby Makes Three (Prem. 8/21/08)

International screenings

''Miami Ink'' has been shown mainly on channels of the

Discovery Network Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

, including

Discovery Real Time Discovery Real Time was a British television channel owned by Discovery Networks UK focused on educational and learning content. History It was originally launched on 9 March 1992 as The Learning Channel, United Kingdom's version of the Americ ...

(UK, Ireland, France, Italy), the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Chan ...

(Norway, Poland, Denmark, Romania, Finland, The Netherlands, South Africa, Namibia, Belgium, Turkey, Portugal, Czech, Spain), DMAX (UK, Italy, Ireland and Germany),

Discovery Travel and Living Discovery Travel & Living is a defunct channel brand from Discovery Communications. This name was used in countries of Europe, Latin America and Asia. In other parts of the world the channel is known as Travel and Living Channel. It features tr ...

(Croatia, India, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Denmark, Singapore, Portugal, Hong Kong) and TLC (Latin America, Spain and Brazil). It has also been broadcast by

Viasat 4 TV3+ (formerly V4 and Viasat 4) is a television channel broadcasting to Norway owned by the Viaplay Group. The channel was launched test on 28 September 2007, a week 14 June 2014 after the launch of the digital terrestrial television network in N ...

(Norway), TV6 (Sweden), TV3+ (Denmark),

Numéro 23 RMC Story, formerly known as Numéro 23 and initially as TVous La télédiversité, is a French independent TV television channel founded by Diversité TV France. It launched its broadcasts on 12 December 2012 and is the 23rd national television ...

(France) and

Jim Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...

(Finland).

References

External links

* *
Exclusive Interview With Yoji Harada

Luke Wessman.
{{Former TLC Programming 2005 American television series debuts 2008 American television series endings 2000s American reality television series Culture of Miami English-language television shows Television series set in tattoo shops Television shows set in Miami TLC (TV network) original programming