Spike has revealed the identities of the 16 tattoo artists who will be competing on the second season of Ink Master and announced the competition will premiere on Tuesday, October 9 at 10PM ET/PT with special back-to-back episodes.

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Once again hosted by Dave Navarro -- who will also serve on the judging panel alongside fellow returning judges Chris Nunez and Oliver Peck-- Ink Master's tattoo artists will compete in weekly tattoo challenges that will test the artists' technical skills and on-the-spot creativity when they create and execute an original tattoo on a "human canvas."

These "human canvases" will include people receiving their first tattoos, those who have had many tattoos inked on them already and customers who wish to cover up a prior permanent mistake. The challenges will feature different tattooing techniques ranging from contrast and adaptability to balance and dimension as well as styles including American traditional, New School, photorealism, and pin-up.

After a challenge concludes each week, every remaining contestant will have his or her own individual work critiqued by the judging panel in addition to guest judges, and then one artist will be eliminated. The final tattoo artist standing will be crowned "Ink Master" and receive $100,000 and an editorial feature in Inked Magazine.

Following the Ink Master double-episode premiere, new episodes of the series will air on Tuesdays at 10PM ET/PT, all leading up to the second-season live finale this December.      

The first season of Ink Master -- which is produced by Original Media and executive produced by Charlie Corwin, Jay Peterson and Andrea Richter -- premiered in January.

The 16 tattoo artists who will be appearing on Ink Master's second season are:

- Tray "Big Daddy" Benham, an owner and artist at Big Daddy's Tattoo in Radcliff & Elizabethtown, KY
 
- Clint Cummings, an owner and artist at Sparrows Tattoo Company in Mansfield, TX

- Nick D'Angelo, an owner and artist at The Black Pearl in Buffalo, NY

- Jamie Davies, an owner and artist at Tattooz Ink in Redding, CA

- Katherine "Tatu Baby" Flores, a self-employed tattoo artist in Miami, FL

- La Ron "Ron" Givens, a tattoo artist at Cat Tattoo's Elite Studio in Addison, TX
 
- Steven "Kay Kutta" Givens, an owner and artist at Kutthouse Tattoos in Fayetteville, NC
 
- Thomas "TJ" Halvorsen, a co-owner and artist at Foolish Pride Tattoo Co. in St. Petersburg, FL
 
- Cee Jay "Inky" Jones, a tattoo artist at Suicide Kings Tattoo Parlor in Canton, MI
 
- Mark Matthews, an owner and tattoo artist at Coastal Tattoo Company in Pacifica, CA
 
- Sarah Miller, an owner and tattoo artist at Wyld Chyld Tattoo in Pittsburgh, PA

- Sebastian Murphy, a tattoo artist at Wholeshot Tattoo in Berkley, MI

- Jesse Smith, an owner and artist at Loose Screw Tattoo in Richmond, VA

- Little Mike, an owner and artist at Addicted to Ink in White Plains, NY

- Steven Tefft, an owner and artist at 12 Tattoos in Groton, CT

- Lalo Yunda, a tattoo artist at Sacred Tattoo in New York, NY
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.