The 19th cycle begins by scouring the country and looking for the freshest faces among America's most beautiful college students; the finalists prepare for their first runway walk and fashion show in front of a live audience as well as the judges.
The contestants must pose as taxidermy animals for guest photographer and "90210" actress Shenae Grimes, but several of the girls end up looking like deer in headlights more so than models; Bryanboy joins the show as social media correspondent.
The contestants head to the Cristophe Salon in Beverly Hills where they will bleached, chopped and dyed for their makeover challenge. Then, the competition heats up when the clothes come off for a nude photo session that is artfully shot by celebrity photographer Tony Duran.
Tensions flare at the top model house when Kristin goes to Destiny's bag to get a lighter without asking for her permission, Kristin then dared Destiny to punch her in the face so that she can send Destiny home.
Since she got the best photo, Laura is now the president and will use the Tyra Suite, she chose Kristin to join her and talked about Leila as she might be obsessed with Laura and will be mad at her. Tyra and Alicia Keys showed up and told the girls that they will be part of a charity runway show for Alicia Keys' charity "Keep Children Alive" wearing clothes design by Mara Hoffman. Laura was then in charge of everything since she won the best picture. Kelly questioned Laura about the details which Laura assigned to each girls.
The girls visit a special effects production house where their challenge is to bring a video game character to life. The winner gets to create her own signature taunt that will be featured in Naughty Dog Production's "Uncharted 3" video game. Then, the girls step back in time at an old train museum for a steam punk photo shoot, where they mix Victorian fashion with 19th century mechanics and a temperamental co-star... a live owl!
On the way to their Palm Springs destination, the models make three pit stops where they will be challenged to take photos of themselves doing "random acts of modeling." The winner gets to host her own segment on NYLONTV.COM. Exhausted and grungy from their long day, the girls are caught off guard for a down-and-dirty photo shoot taken at random locations around their kitschy motel.
The girls meet with fashion designers and compete to book more modelling jobs, there is a retro mug shot photo shoot, and one eliminated contestant rejoins the competition.
The models travel to Jamaica, where they are greeted by Tyra and an ensemble of performers; during a photo shoot, the models pose with Rob Evans and another male model on a raft.
The contestants model bikinis designed by Bob Marley's daughter, Cedella Marley; Tyra photographs the models as they pose under a waterfall dressed as warrior princesses.
The models must create and star in a commercial, with the challenge winner receiving a trip back to Jamaica and international exposure; the models wear bikinis in a photo shoot for a fragrance ad.
Which college student has made the grade in the modelling word? The finalists star in a glamorous runway show in Jamaica in an effort to win a life-changing prize.
