The eighth season begins with 32 competitors taking part in a model boot camp. Next, they check into a Century City hotel where their number is reduced to 20 and then 13. The lucky 13 then move into a Hollywood Hills mansion and participate in a controversial photo shoot with Nigel Barker in which they must strike poses for political causes.

The 12 remaining models get tips on how to walk a runway and participate in a prom-themed fashion show. Later, the women pose as high-school clichés in a photo shoot, before their number is reduced to 11 by the judges.

The 11 models get makeovers at a Beverly Hills salon and then pose nude for a photo shoot. Also, a call from home devastates one contestant and a third model is eliminated.

Benny Ninja instructs the girls in a posing lesson, which leads to the models being tested in a challenge where they must duck, dive, and pose through a laser maze. Afterwards, the girls participate in a photo shoot showcasing a deathly crime scene.

The girls are in for some tough calls when they are broken up into teams and asked to design their own group displays at a department store - all while acting as their own mannequins. Drama unfolds after the challenge as one girl - who took advice from he

Twiggy tells the models how she got her nickname and the women are challenged to create nicknames for themselves. Later, the ladies use their new names at a Hollywood party attended by rapper 50 Cent and model Beverly Johnson, and two contestants end up in a swimming pool. At the photo shoot, the models must expose inner personalities.

Efren Ramirez and Tia Mowry give the models a crash course in character acting, prior to the ladies participating in an acting challenge. The photo shoot highlights scandalous moments from past seasons and features previous contestants, including Kim Stolz, Shannon Stewart, Rebecca Epley, Michelle Deighton, Bre Scullark, Joanie Dodd, Michelle Babin and Amanda Babin.

The models get a crash course in being on-air hosts and then test their new skills in Australia, where they conduct interviews using Aussie slang. Later, they shoot a commercial in the Outback and one contestant forgets her lines.

Highlights from the first half of the season include the models staging a mock fashion show, complete with the ladies impersonating the real judges.