''Miami Ink'' is an American

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

series that aired on

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

from 2005 to 2008 and follows the events that took place at a tattoo shop in

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. The show led to several

spin-offs Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

, 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'', premier ...

'', '' London Ink'', '' NY Ink'', 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 artist 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 ...

Ami James Ami James (; 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 Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, occupied by Israe ...

and Chris Núñez, and at the time of the show, also featured artists Chris Garver, Darren Brass, Luke Wessman, Morgan Pennypacker, Tim Hendricks and Yoji Harada.

Kat Von D Katherine von Drachenberg (born March 8, 1982), known professionally as Kat Von D, is a Mexican-born American tattoo artist, television personality, entrepreneur and recording artist. She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC ...

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, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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, 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, 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 processes ...

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" 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 know ...

''.

''NY Ink''

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

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 2011 and opened a tattoo studio there, named the Wooster St. Social Club. He teamed up with David Roma and Charlie Corwin to detail the proceedings in the shop on '' NY Ink'', which premiered June 2, 2011 on

Celebrity customers

Frank Iero Frank Anthony Iero, Jr. (, born October 31, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist of the rock band My Chemical Romance and as a guitarist in the supergr ...

MCR Guitarist * Brantley Gilbert, Country Singer * A.B. Quintanilla, Mexican-American musician and producer *

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

, 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 tel ...

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

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

, actor and comedian *

DJ Skribble Scott Ialacci, professionally known as DJ Skribble (born October 10, 1968) is an American Disc jockey, DJ, Record producer, producer, remixer, radio personality and actor. In the early 1990s, he teamed up with Kamron, ATA, Firstborn and Tommy N ...

, DJ *

Evan Seinfeld Evan Seinfeld (born November 1967) is an American musician and former pornographic actor, writer and director. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and founding member of the hardcore/metal band Biohazard. Seinfeld left the band in ...

, vocalist for

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

and

adult film Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...

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 i ...

, skateboarder *

Irvin Mayfield Irvin Mayfield Jr. (born December 23, 1977) is an American trumpeter, composer, bandleader and educator. On November 3, 2021, Mayfield was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding the New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans public librar ...

, 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's ...

* 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 ...

, 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, East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, which he formed with childhood friends ...

, rapper * Mark Zupan, athlete * MickDeth, 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 over a ...

* Monica Martin, 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''. He first appeared on the show with his sons Paul Teutul Jr., ...

, Owner of Orange County Choppers ''

'' * Paula Meronek, TV personality from '' The Real World: Key West'' * Phil Varone, drummer of

Skid Row A skid row, also called 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 people who are poor or homeless, considered disre ...

and

Saigon Kick Saigon Kick is an American hard rock band from Coral Springs, FL, 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, ...

* Reginald 'Fieldy' Arvizu, bassist for

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

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. In 1983, he briefly p ...

, 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– ...

Sunny Garcia Vincent Sennen "Sunny" Garcia (born January 14, 1970) is an American professional surfer from Waianae, Hawaii. After leaving school he debuted on the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach, Oahu, beating the 1984 champ Tom Carroll. His top surfing ac ...

, 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, 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 Ameri ...

(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 that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

(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 (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+ Norway (formerly V4, Viasat4, ZTV Norway and Viasat Plus) is a television channel broadcasting to Norway owned by the Viaplay Group. The channel was launched on 8. September 2007 replacing ZTV Norway on cable, satellite and terrestrial in pr ...

(Norway), TV6 (Sweden), TV3+ (Denmark), Numéro 23 (France) and 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 American English-language television shows Television series set in tattoo shops Television shows set in Miami TLC (TV network) original programming