Alexis is First Runner-Up on Oxygen's 'Best Ink'

Bethlehem’s Alexis Kovacs finished as the first runner-up in Best Ink, an Oxygen channel reality TV show competition for tattoo artists, which wrapped up its season on Tuesday night.

London, a tattoo artist from Los Angeles, took first prize, $100,000 and a cover story in an upcoming issue of Tattoo magazine.

“I thought London's tattoos were really good- they weren't super cohesive, but he is such an amazing artist and they were so good,” Kovacs tweeted during a live chat on the Oxygen website, which took place while the show aired.

“This competition helped me grow as an artist,” Kovacs said during the show in the final minutes after the winner was announced. “I’m going to go home and tattoo my ass off.”

Home for Alexis is her business, Electric Cheetah Tattoo at 707 N. New St. in Bethlehem.

Kovacs admitted that she was nervous, but “really confident,” during the final competition. She admitted to being nervous while watching, even though she knew the final outcome: “I feel like I am on the show all over again - my heart is pounding like crazy!” she tweeted.

The challenge of the final competition was to create three tattoos around the theme of love, using symbols such as hearts, flowers and birds. Kovacs’ signature became a glowing heart inside of a lantern, which was the main theme of one of the three tattoos and appeared in all three.

“As soon as I got the lantern idea- I knew I would be ok,” Kovacs tweeted. “I felt like I was in a really good place with my designs. I was really happy with my drawings.”

The tattoos were well-received by the contest judges, including guest celebrity judge Margaret Cho, who called one of Kovacs’ tattoos of a crow with arrows coming out of its chest “one of my favorite tattoos ever.”

“The show has definitely given me exposure to a lot of people and that has been so great!” Kovacs tweeted. “I was so excited to just be part of Best Ink and thrilled with getting so far.”