Siblings among the artists appearing on ‘Ink Master: Angels’
In this family, ink is thicker than blood or water. Joe Capone and his big sister, Rachel Helmich, probably were destined to wind up on a reality television show.
“Ever since we were little kids, our mom was getting tattoos,” said Mr. Capone, 39, who grew up in Wilkinsburg, then Crafton. “She was always getting tattooed when it wasn’t cool, back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
“But we loved going to the tattoo shop to admire all the artwork on the walls, watching people draw all day.”
“Sit around, draw all day, call it work,” he added, laughing. “That’s the dream.”
The siblings became tattoo artists, and Rachel, 40, married another, Craig Helmich. On Tuesday, brother and sister face off on Spike TV’s “Ink Master: Angels,” a spinoff of its popular “Ink Master” series.
The “Angels” — expert artists Ryan Ashley, Kelly Doty, Gia Rose and Nikki Simpson — arrived in Pittsburgh several months back for the shoot. Mr. Capone, Mrs. Helmich and a third artist, Nick Demars, competed in a three-part challenge, with the winner possibly earning a spot on the next season of “Ink Master.”
Mr. Capone has a shop in Verona, American Tattoo. His sister’s shop, Pyramid Tattoo, is in the Bridgeville area. The Helmich family moved back to the Pittsburgh area from Hawaii about two years ago; until the “Ink Angels” shoot, they’d never worked in the same building.
His specialty is realism, black and gray tattoos. Although, starting out with a street shop, “You just take what comes to your door.”
The family insists they were unaware each had been cast on the show. Mr. Capone said when the producers took him to Pyramid he assumed he might be competing against his brother-in-law. And while artists in the “Ink Master” franchise rarely hesitate to trash talk the others, both Mr. Capone and Mrs. Helmich are shown keeping the peace — mostly.
“Ink Master: Angels” airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. In other reality news: • Not since “Marathon Man” and “Little Shop of Horrors” have dentists been given such a lurid description.
Investigation Discovery’s new series “Deadly Dentists” makes it debut Friday at 10 p.m. with an episode that features the 2006 killing of Blairsville’s John Yelenic. “Local Fracture” features reenactments of the day Yelenic was found, having bled to death, in his home.
He and his wife, Michele, were going through a bitter divorce. It wasn’t until 17 months later when the case seemed cold that an arrest was made. We won’t spoil the story.
The network describes “Deadly Dentists” as, “Full of twists and turns, these stories of murder feature rotten characters in an industry full of money and meds, where corruption is commonplace. It’s hard to distinguish those who are honorable from the deeply distrustful when every smile is full of pearly whites. When you drill down, you reveal the decay rotting the roots of everything it touches.”
• ABC is adding Curry and Spice to its third season of “The Great American Baking Show.” This holidaythemed U.S. spinoff from “The Great British BakeOff” returns Dec. 7 at 9-11 p.m. for three weeks.
It’s a comfort food show, shot in the “British BakeOff” tent in a country setting of sheep, ducks and occasional downpours that ruin everyone’s bakes by making the tent a humid greenhouse.
“British” staple Paul Hollywood is back as a judge, as is Johnny Iuzzini. Ayesha Curry— Food Network host, food blogger and wife of Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry — and former NFL player Anthony “Spice” Adams replace Nia Vardalos and her husband, Ian Gomez.
Alas, also missing is baking doyenne Mary Berry, who left the “British Baking” franchise last year when the show jumped from the BBC to Channel 4. Contestants’ names are expected to be announced in the next week.
In the meantime, Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship” is underway, with new shows on Mondays and catch-up programs online.