Jason and Anthony Tex couldn’t pass up the chance to compete on a reality show featuring tattoo artists. Ink Master He reached out to invite them to join.

James is 50 years old and has been working in the industry for 26 years.

“Before I went, I had watched a few seasons of the show to get a sense of what it was about and you’re like, ‘I could have done this better,'” Jason said.

“But then you go on the show and you realize it’s reality (TV) and you’re not going to succeed at it (the challenge) every time, you’ll try but if you’ve ever watched the show you realize that no one is perfect and anything can happen.”

Anthony is 32 and says his father taught him everything he knows about tattooing. The two have similar narrative styles, and young Tex says they are the first father-son duo to be invited to the show.

“I think they had siblings and family members and things like that, but there’s nothing that would have prevented it,” he said. “So I think for me and my dad to be on Ink Master, it’s a great opportunity for our chances, for our name, for Canada, it’s pretty cool.”

strange start

The duo said the beginning of the competition was strange as all the lights, cameras and microphones were watching and listening to their every move.

“The first few tattoos were a little scary because it’s a quiet room and you need sound,” Anthony said. “But after the first few tattoos, you didn’t even think about it anymore, it was like you blended into the room.”

“At least I was lucky enough to have Anthony around,” James said. “(He provided) a little bit of a support system, and after a few weeks he started getting to know everyone in the program, and they were super nice and wonderful, talented young people because I was the oldest guy.”

The duo cannot reveal any details of the show or reveal how far they have progressed in the competition. Ink Master It airs on Paramount+ and features 16 tattoo artists competing for $250,000 in prize money.

“You’re kind of seen in a different light,” James said. “All your insecurities and mistakes are shown on television because there’s nowhere to hide.”

“It’s definitely on the resume,” Anthony said. “If you don’t get too far (in the competition), or you get to the top first, or you make it all the way to the end, no matter what, it’s going to improve your career at some point.”

It’s a family affair

Production on the show took place in late spring 2024, and Jason’s wife and Anthony’s mother, Karen Tex, was busy managing the Deadly Tattoos shop in southwest Calgary because she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that her sons were heading off to film the North American reality show. television show. But now the program is airing and he watches it with them.

“I’m so proud,” he said. “I’m probably their biggest fan, it was amazing to watch them on the show and see all the challenges and obstacles they went through, so yeah, it was really cool.”

Karen says bookings are increasing as Calgarians start to adapt Ink Master and they want to get tattoos from celebrities.

“I can tell you that the emails are coming in and people are enjoying having local artists on the show,” he said. “We represent Calgary and we’re a local business here too, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Karen is hopeful that one day, when she has a few more years of experience in tattooing, her 25-year-old daughter Ali will be invited to the show.

Learn more about the tattoo shop Here.