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 race against the clock as they meet with various fashion designers for a chance to book actual modeling jobs. The designers, who include Guess, Whitney Port, Charlotte Ronson, American Rag, Cecilia Cassini, and Lulu Guinness, can only book one girl, but each girl can book with more than one designer. The winner is the girl who books the most jobs. Then, the young ladies are hauled off to prison where they are made up as fifties-retro bad girls for a mug shot photo shoot with celebrity photographer Cobra Snake. At the end of the episode, Tyra brings back the eliminated contestants and reveals that one of them is about to re-enter the competition.
The models pack their bags and jet off to their new home in Jamaica, The Half Moon Resort, where they are greeted by Tyra and an entire ensemble of Jamaican performers. Then, they get a real flare for Jamaican flavor with their first challenge abroad - a local "dancehall" dance off. This week's photo shoot finds the girls floating on a river raft in the wilds of Jamaica. There, they must use their body language to express a love triangle between male model Rob Evans and another local male model posing with them.
During their stay in Jamaica, the girls meet Bob Marley's daughter, Cedella Marley, who has designed a fashionable new line of bikinis. Their challenge is to model these teeny weenie bikinis while rising out of the ocean on a dolphin. Then, the girls venture to Jamaica's famous Dunn's River Falls where they are transformed into warrior princesses and greeted by Tyra, who will be their photographer for the day. The girl who can strike the fiercest pose under the cascading waterfall wins the honor of having her photo grace the walls of Tyra's home.
The girls are challenged to shoot a trial television commercial for the Jamaica Tourist Board, including writing their own script and starring in their own television spot while horse-back-riding in the ocean. The winner gets to come back to Jamaica to shoot an official television spot that will be broadcast worldwide. Then the models change bikinis for the "Dream Come True" perfume photo shoot where they pose for the chance to appear in the official fragrance ad
Judge Kelly Cutrone meets the models on the streets of Jamaica to mentor them through their official Nine West photo shoot. Then, the girls pose across Half Moon Bay for their Nylon Magazine photo shoot. Finally, the battle for the fiercest will be fought at the most famous yet infamous property in all of Jamaica, the mysteriously haunted Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay. The previously eliminated contestants return to join the finalists and their families for an unprecedented runway show that embraces all the beauty, culture, history and music of the island
Behind-the-scenes confessions and catfights among the co-eds are revealed in the never-before-seen footage