The semifinalists meet in LA for a pool party. Deciding to have a bit more fun, some of the girls trek out to a local hotspot where one semifinalist gets into a bar fight with a local. Later on, the girls introduce themselves to the judges and a cut is announced where 14 out of the 34 girls are eliminated. A second cut eliminates 6 more girls and the Final 14 are presented.
Supermodel Tyra Banks takes the 14 new ladies to a rooftop in New York City to spring the good news that they are heading to Jamaica for a sexy swimsuit shoot; but when the girls arrive at this tropical paradise, they learn that one of them will be eliminated before the end of the trip. Tyra comes to visit the girls to discuss the art of hiding their imperfections.
Tyra and Jay Manuel give the aspiring models dramatic makeovers at an upscale New York City salon, and after confiding to one of her housemates that she has an eating disorder, one of the girls gets a harsh lesson in trust and competition when she discovers that her secret has spread through the house.
When the girls are challenged to star in a glamorous runway fashion show for famous designers Heatherette, one model has trouble staying in her outfit, another has trouble staying on the runway and one model's success on the catwalk stirs up jealously in the others that explodes in a confrontation.
The ladies learn the nuances of sexy posing from none other than sassy supermodel Janice Dickinson and later are challenged to pose while wearing revealing lingerie in a New York City storefront window as passersby look on.
Tyra invites plus-size supermodel Kate Dillion and a nutritionist over to the loft to discuss healthy eating and positive body image with the girls. The next morning, the girls are taken to an obstacle course and later are told to climb up 14 flights of stairs. The photoshoot is for an energy drink, and the girls have to jump on a trampoline.
One of the models playfully kisses another. Meanwhile, Tyra Banks sends the ladies to be evaluated by some of New York's top fashion designers, including Nicole Miller, Cynthia Rowley, Diane von Furstenberg, Nanette Lepore, and Marc Bouwer.
After meeting with style and publicity experts who discuss image and personal style, the models face a red carpet photo challenge where one competitor seems to have undergone a sharp personality change for the worse, another suffers from the diva syndrome and a third offends another when she openly discusses her distaste towards her to an US Weekly reporter.
When the models take acting lessons, they are surprised to learn their challenge is to perform in a scene opposite Taye Diggs. Later, the girls' acting skills are put to the test once again when they must shoot a Campbell's Soup TV commercial in the local language with a director who doesn't speak any English.
Never-before-seen footage from the first eight weeks including a confrontation between the two divas, Yaya and Eva and the girls putting on a lingerie fashion show for Kelle.
As the competition quickly comes to a close, the girls are taken to a tea house to learn the ancient technique of a proper tea ceremony. One girl has more difficulty than the others.
The girls are separately left to their own devices to navigate the streets of Tokyo in a mad dash to find an outfit that represents Tokyo street style to present to a Japanese fashion designer.
The mounting pressure begins to take its toll on the three remaining girls as one expresses her blatant dislike for another competitor. After a close-up beauty photo shoot for CoverGirl Cosmetics, one girl is eliminated leaving only two to fight for the number-one spot.