PARAMOUNT+ REVEALS STACKED LINEUP OF CONTESTANTS FOR THE MUCH ANTICIPATED RETURN OF "INK MASTER"

Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Truly Original, New Season Premieres Wednesday, October 23

October 2, 2024 - Paramount+ today revealed the stacked lineup of tattoo artists who will be competing in season 16 of the hit reality competition series Ink Master, which will premiere exclusively on the service Wednesday, October 23rd with three all-new episodes in the U.S. and Canada, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly. The series will also premiere on Thursday, October 24th in the U.K. and Australia, with Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria at a later date. An official trailer was also released for the season, which will be hosted by artist-entrepreneur Joel Madden.

Meet the Ink Master Contestants:

· Alena Wedderburn: IG

· Andy Pho: IG

· Anthony Tex: IG

· Cat Castro: IG

· Jade Olivia: IG

· James Tex: IG

· Jenna Coffin: IG

· Johnny Angel: IG

· Jorell Elie: IG

· Joseph Serrano: IG

· Love Duncan: IG

· Lucy Hu: IG

· Manny Fernandez: IG

· Pony Lawson: IG

· Stephanie Heffron: IG

· Trevor Burtz: IG

Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Truly Original, Ink Master is hosted by lead vocalist for the pop/punk band Good Charlotte and co-founder of music companies Veeps and MDDN, Joel Madden, alongside returning judges including three-time Ink Master champion DJ Tambe, Ryan Ashley, the first female tattoo artist to win the competition, and Nikko Hurtado, one of the world's best color-realism artists.

In the new season of Ink Master, 16 new artists enter the shop to battle in the ultimate tattoo competition, where they will put their skills, and their experience, to the test week after week in epic challenges. Only one will win $250,000 and the title of "Ink Master."

Ink Master is executive produced by Glenda Hersh, Steven Weinstock and Andrea Richter for Truly Original. Daniel Blau Rogge and Jennifer Aguirre serve as executive producers and Ivanna Palance as executive in charge of production for MTV Entertainment Studios.

About Paramount+

Paramount+, part of Paramount's (Nasdaq: PARA, PARAA) global portfolio of multimedia entertainment and news brands, is a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combining live sports, breaking news and A Mountain of Entertainment(TM). The streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. Paramount+ with SHOWTIME(R), the service's cornerstone plan, is also home to SHOWTIME(R) content, including scripted hits and critically acclaimed nonfiction projects and films. This premium plan includes unmatched events and sports programming through the local live CBS stream, including golf, basketball and more. All Paramount+ subscribers have streaming access to CBS News Network for 24/7 news and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis. For more information about Paramount+ and Ink Master, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus and @InkMaster on social platforms.

About SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks

SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks is a global network of media assets that reaches over one billion people in more than 180 countries featuring some of the most iconic brands in entertainment including SHOWTIME, MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount Network among others - and, its Studios arm which produces 120+ series annually, including some of today's biggest hits such as Yellowstone, Yellowjackets, Emily in Paris, 1883, 1923, George & Tammy, South Park, Tulsa King, RuPaul's Drag Race, The Challenge and Jersey Shore, to name a few.

About Truly Original

Truly Original creates a broad range of nonfiction programming for television and streaming platforms. A Banijay Americas company, Truly Original is run by Emmy(R) Award-winning producers Glenda Hersh and Steven Weinstock, who serve as co-presidents and co-CEOs. Truly Original's robust roster includes Ink Master, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, The Real Housewives of Potomac, The Real Housewives of Dubai, Family Karma, Basketball Wives, Swamp People, Swamp People: Serpent Invasion, Summer House, Winter House and The Last Cowboy with executive producer Taylor Sheridan. The company also forged an overall deal with The Cinemart, Emmy Award-winning producers of such acclaimed documentary series and features as Netflix's Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, Hulu's Fyre Fraud, Amazon's LuLaRich and the Peabody Award-Winning Time: The Kalief Browder Story. For more information visit trulyoriginal.com.