WHO WILL BE CROWNED AMERICA'S "MASTER SHOP" ON THE NEW SEASON OF "INK MASTER" PREMIERING TUESDAY, JUNE 6 AT 10 PM ET/PT

Season 9 Introduces Nine Pairs Of Contestants Who Battle For The Largest Grand Prize in Series History And, For The First Time, The Title Of "Master Shop"

New York, NY, April 20, 2017 - Spike TV's hit original reality-competition series "Ink Master" returns for a ninth season on Tuesday, June 6 at 10pm ET/PT, with the highest stakes yet and twice as much prize money on the line. This season, shops from all around the country are sending two of their strongest artists to compete for a $200,000 grand prize, an editorial feature in Inked and, for the first time in "Ink Master" history, the title of "Master Shop." The series is produced by Truly Original.

This season comes with a new twist, as artists will be competing in pairs and representing their hometown shops. Throughout the competition, the artists are not only tested on their technical skills, but also their on-the-spot creativity, as they must conceive and execute original tattoos on "human canvases." Each episode will focus on a different and distinct style of tattooing, and as always, while the artists' masterpieces will last a lifetime... so will their mistakes.

After every challenge, the contestants face a tough panel comprised of musician, filmmaker and artist Dave Navarro, as well as world-renowned tattoo artists Chris Nu�ez ("Miami Ink") and Oliver Peck (Elm Street Tattoo).

You can watch the "Ink Master" promo featuring Dave Navarro performing an original rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner by clicking here or below:

You can watch the "Ink Master" "Meet The Contestant" video by clicking here or below:

The "Ink Master" Season Nine tattoo artists are (listed by shop, in alphabetical order):

· Allegory Arts - Florence, AL
o Ulyss Blair (@Ulyss_Blair) - Co-owner/Artist
o Eva Huber (@eva_jean) - Co-owner/Artist

· Artistic Skin Designs - Indianapolis, IN
o April Nicole (@April_Nicole) - Artist
o Dane Smith (@danesmithtattoo) - Artist

· Black Anchor Collective - Hesperia, CA
o Carlos Rojas (@Crojasart) - Artist
o Aric Taylor (@Aric_Taylor) - Artist

· Classic Trilogy Tattoo - Cortland, NY
o Thom Bulman (@Bulman_Tattoos) - Owner/Artist
o Derek Zielinski (@derek_zielinski_artist) - Artist

· Pinz and Needles - Baltimore, MD
o Jessy Knuckles (@jessyknuckles) - Artist
o Allisin Riot (@allisintattoos) - Artist

· The Marked Society Tattoo - McDonough, GA
o Wes Hogan (@awesomehogan) - Artist
o Mike P (@tattoosbymikep) - Co-Owner/Artist

· Thicker Than Blood - White Plains, NY
o Jhon Campuzano (@jhoncampuzanotattoo) - Artist
o Babiery Hernandez (@babierytattoo) - Artist

· Tri-Cities Tattoo - Atlanta, GA
o Bang (@chabangna) - Artist
o Danger Dave (@dangerdaveink) - Artist

· Unkindness Art - Richmond, VA
o Erin Chance (@ErinChanceTattoo) - Owner/Artist
o Doom Kitten (@doomkitten) - Artist

Viewers can find more on each artist including biographies, photo galleries, artwork portfolios and artist introduction videos by visiting inkmaster.spike.com. Throughout the season, fans can watch full episodes and video clips, and are encouraged to join the conversation on social media using #InkMaster. The latest in tattoo culture and series news can be found on the official "Ink Master" Facebook page, on Twitter @spikeinkmaster, Pinterest, Tumblr and on Instagram @spikeinkmaster.

"Ink Master" completed its 8th season on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 with a LIVE 90-minute finale that delivered 2.2 million viewers. Season 8 averaged 2.1 million viewers and was the 2nd highest rated in series history among W18-49. For the full season, 57% of the audience was female, the most in series history, demonstrating the network's ongoing plan to deliver gender-balanced original hit series.

"Ink Master" is produced for Spike by Truly Original ("Swamp People," "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," "Vanity Fair Confidential") with Glenda Hersh, Steven Weinstock and Andrea Richter serving as executive producers. Truly Original is a subsidiary of Endemol Shine North America.

Chachi Senior is Spike's Senior Vice President, Original Programming, Chaz Gray, Executive Producer of Current, Original Series, Spike, oversees production of "Ink Master" for the network and Tori Socha Vice President, Development, Spike, oversees production of "Ink Master Angels" for the network.

Truly Original creates a broad range of scripted and unscripted programming for television and digital platforms. Run by Emmy award-winning producers Glenda Hersh and Steven Weinstock, who serve as Truly Original's co-presidents and CEOs, the company is a subsidiary of Endemol Shine North America. Truly Original's hit series include Ink Master and Ink Master: Redemption for Spike; The Real Housewives of Atlanta, The Real Housewives of Potomac, Don't Be Tardy, Shahs of Sunset, Summer House and the upcoming Stripped, for Bravo; Vanity Fair Confidential for ID; Swamp People for History; Comic Book Men for AMC; Hack My Life for truTV; I Love You... But I Lied for Lifetime; The Horn for Red Bull TV, and many others. Truly Original is headquartered in New York City.

Spike TV is available in 91.4 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com.