Tattoo Reality Shows

Tattoos symbolized rebellion and revolutionary natures, and were used to promote individualism. While these properties and characteristics are still true today, it is evident that the tattoo business scene has changed radically. The reality show craze of the last 5 years has touched off a new movement” reality shows about tattooing. The most popular tattoo reality shows are TLCs Miami Ink, and LA Ink.

Its time to take a break from characters searching for love, money, or attention- desperately craving their fifteen minutes of fame, and move on to truly talented artists. Despite all the drama, some good tattoos and surprisingly poignant stories are captured on film.

Yes, recently, reality tattoo TV shows have been making the rounds. Rio Ink- from Rio de Janeiro, is the most recent body art reality show to hit the airwaves. It is a Discovery Channel spin-off of the original hit Miami Ink, and like the master, it follows five tattoo artists as they go about their process. The Rio Ink artists include: Lucio Tattoo (the passionate artist and shop owner), CH2 (known for his graffiti/hip-hop style), Lia (the only female artist, known for her feminine designs), Daniel (skilled at transforming existing designs), and Magathi (with years of experience).

The tattoo shop Banzai Tattoo is situated in the center of Ipanema. The series catches the unique energy of a beachfront Brazilian tattoo parlor, and allows for a background on the clients and their causes for acquiring a tattoo. One of the characteristic tattoos in the Rio Ink series is a tribute to the Afro-Brazilian deity Iemanja.

Thus, the popularity of reality-based TV shows now brings you tattooing live and in color, right into your very own sitting room! You can even watch Inked presented by the A&E Network. This, is set inside an actual working tattoo parlor, and generally observes the various daily activities of the tattoo artists and customers who come into the shop to get tattooed.

Then there is Miami Ink, that occurs in the South Beach region of Miami, Florida. The show looks at a series of clients and their tattoos, and introduces each as a little story. The diverse clients all talk about their designs, what the tattoo implies to them, why they feel it was time to get that special tattoo, and why they picked the artist that they were doing work with. Also worthy of mention is Inked, which happens in the Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company shop, settled in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.