One Shocking Ink Master Scene Proved Kyle Dunbar Completely Missed The Point Of Redemption
"He's already proven a hundred times that he's got a short fuse. Let's see if he's changed," one human canvas told "Ink Master" host Dave Navarro before approaching tattoo artist/contestant Kyle Dunbar with high hopes of burying an old feud. The run-in took place on season two of "Ink Master: Redemption," a follow-up series that offered artists and show volunteers a chance to redo botched pieces and rectify old mishaps. While some participants made the best of their time behind the tattoo gun, some failed to do so miserably. Case in point: Kyle Dunbar.
As Michigan Live reports, Dunbar's initial trial with "Ink Master" – which took place during the show's third season — was riddled with insurmountable conflict and animosity. However, by the end of it all, he at least had something to show for it. "One thing about Kyle, the harder I ride him, the better off he does in the end. Kyle works off of animosity and anger," host Chris Nunez shared. "If I want to see him do good, I have to stay on him." Unfortunately, his temper didn't fair so well in other instances, one of which took place during the "Redemption" series and almost brought him to physical blows with his former human canvas.
Where did the conflict start?
In an episode that predated "Ink Master: Redemption," Kyle Dunbar's human canvas presented him with an appealing business venture: if Dunbar agreed to split the prospective $100 thousand dollar prize with him, he'd allow him to tattoo whatever he wanted on his body (via Ink Master). With the exception of losing $50 thousand dollars, there's definitely much to admire about the offer, and it could very well be an ace in the hole for any artist confident enough in their abilities to succeed via total autonomy.
Unfortunately, it didn't go as planned. The two butted heads the majority of the time over creative differences, and their personal attitudes toward one another simply didn't mesh well at all. Additionally, the tattoo healed horribly, so the human canvas was stuck with a permanent reminder of an "Ink Master" experience gone terribly wrong. Tough luck, eh?
Kyle Dunbar's outburst toward his canvas
Despite the bad blood between him and Dunbar, the human canvas who departed the show on bad terms with the latter returned in the "Redemption" series for a second go-around — if Dunbar would have it, of course. Unfortunately, the uglier side of Dunbar's temperament reared its ugly head as soon as the canvas walked into the room. As Screen Rant reports, he didn't even take a moment to hear the poor guy out; he just exploded.
When the human canvas entered his workspace, Dunbar called him a "cheap motherf*****" without a moment's hesitation, after the former tried to begin a conversation. Within a matter of seconds, the two were nose-to-nose, spewing insults and accusations at one another in a squeamishly uncomfortable moment that Screen Rant described as "one of the most shocking 'Ink Master' scenes." Needless to say, there was no "redemption" for the artist or the human canvas in this situation.