diff --git a/pkg/client/cache/listers.go b/pkg/client/cache/listers.go
index f989116fad8..4e1dd78272c 100644
--- a/pkg/client/cache/listers.go
+++ b/pkg/client/cache/listers.go
@@ -42,11 +42,11 @@ type StoreToPodLister struct {
 // TODO Get rid of the selector because that is confusing because the user might not realize that there has already been
 // some selection at the caching stage.  Also, consistency will facilitate code generation.  However, the pkg/client
 // is inconsistent too.
-func (s *StoreToPodLister) List(selector labels.Selector) (pods []api.Pod, err error) {
+func (s *StoreToPodLister) List(selector labels.Selector) (pods []*api.Pod, err error) {
 	for _, m := range s.Store.List() {
 		pod := m.(*api.Pod)
 		if selector.Matches(labels.Set(pod.Labels)) {
-			pods = append(pods, *pod)
+			pods = append(pods, pod)
 		}
 	}
 	return pods, nil
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ func (s *StoreToServiceLister) List() (services api.ServiceList, err error) {
 
 // TODO: Move this back to scheduler as a helper function that takes a Store,
 // rather than a method of StoreToServiceLister.
-func (s *StoreToServiceLister) GetPodServices(pod api.Pod) (services []api.Service, err error) {
+func (s *StoreToServiceLister) GetPodServices(pod *api.Pod) (services []api.Service, err error) {
 	var selector labels.Selector
 	var service api.Service
 
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/apiserver.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/apiserver.go
index b859944fc0a..e55364877ef 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/apiserver.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/apiserver.go
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ func NewSourceApiserver(c *client.Client, hostname string, updates chan<- interf
 // newSourceApiserverFromLW holds creates a config source that watches and pulls from the apiserver.
 func newSourceApiserverFromLW(lw cache.ListerWatcher, updates chan<- interface{}) {
 	send := func(objs []interface{}) {
-		var pods []api.Pod
+		var pods []*api.Pod
 		for _, o := range objs {
-			pods = append(pods, *o.(*api.Pod))
+			pods = append(pods, o.(*api.Pod))
 		}
 		updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{pods, kubelet.SET, kubelet.ApiserverSource}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/apiserver_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/apiserver_test.go
index 7b5367578fb..afb9fbb90f5 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/apiserver_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/apiserver_test.go
@@ -42,20 +42,20 @@ func (lw fakePodLW) Watch(resourceVersion string) (watch.Interface, error) {
 var _ cache.ListerWatcher = fakePodLW{}
 
 func TestNewSourceApiserver_UpdatesAndMultiplePods(t *testing.T) {
-	pod1v1 := api.Pod{
+	pod1v1 := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "p"},
 		Spec:       api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Image: "image/one"}}}}
-	pod1v2 := api.Pod{
+	pod1v2 := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "p"},
 		Spec:       api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Image: "image/two"}}}}
-	pod2 := api.Pod{
+	pod2 := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "q"},
 		Spec:       api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Image: "image/blah"}}}}
 
 	// Setup fake api client.
 	fakeWatch := watch.NewFake()
 	lw := fakePodLW{
-		listResp:  &api.PodList{Items: []api.Pod{pod1v1}},
+		listResp:  &api.PodList{Items: []api.Pod{*pod1v1}},
 		watchResp: fakeWatch,
 	}
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ func TestNewSourceApiserver_UpdatesAndMultiplePods(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// Add another pod
-	fakeWatch.Add(&pod2)
+	fakeWatch.Add(pod2)
 	got, ok = <-ch
 	if !ok {
 		t.Errorf("Unable to read from channel when expected")
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func TestNewSourceApiserver_UpdatesAndMultiplePods(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// Modify pod1
-	fakeWatch.Modify(&pod1v2)
+	fakeWatch.Modify(pod1v2)
 	got, ok = <-ch
 	if !ok {
 		t.Errorf("Unable to read from channel when expected")
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ func TestNewSourceApiserver_UpdatesAndMultiplePods(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// Delete pod1
-	fakeWatch.Delete(&pod1v2)
+	fakeWatch.Delete(pod1v2)
 	got, ok = <-ch
 	if !ok {
 		t.Errorf("Unable to read from channel when expected")
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ func TestNewSourceApiserver_UpdatesAndMultiplePods(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// Delete pod2
-	fakeWatch.Delete(&pod2)
+	fakeWatch.Delete(pod2)
 	got, ok = <-ch
 	if !ok {
 		t.Errorf("Unable to read from channel when expected")
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/common.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/common.go
index 72ec9c7e503..f74084e3fe8 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/common.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/common.go
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func applyDefaults(pod *api.Pod, source string, isFile bool, hostname string) er
 
 type defaultFunc func(pod *api.Pod) error
 
-func tryDecodeSinglePod(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, pod api.Pod, err error) {
+func tryDecodeSinglePod(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, pod *api.Pod, err error) {
 	obj, err := api.Scheme.Decode(data)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, pod, err
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ func tryDecodeSinglePod(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, pod ap
 		err = fmt.Errorf("invalid pod: %v", errs)
 		return true, pod, err
 	}
-	return true, *newPod, nil
+	return true, newPod, nil
 }
 
 func tryDecodePodList(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, pods api.PodList, err error) {
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ func tryDecodePodList(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, pods api
 	return true, *newPods, err
 }
 
-func tryDecodeSingleManifest(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, manifest v1beta1.ContainerManifest, pod api.Pod, err error) {
+func tryDecodeSingleManifest(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, manifest v1beta1.ContainerManifest, pod *api.Pod, err error) {
 	// TODO: should be api.Scheme.Decode
 	// This is awful.  DecodeInto() expects to find an APIObject, which
 	// Manifest is not.  We keep reading manifest for now for compat, but
@@ -144,6 +144,7 @@ func tryDecodeSingleManifest(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, m
 	// avoids writing a v1beta1.ContainerManifest -> api.Pod
 	// conversion which would be identical to the api.ContainerManifest ->
 	// api.Pod conversion.
+	pod = new(api.Pod)
 	if err = yaml.Unmarshal(data, &manifest); err != nil {
 		return false, manifest, pod, err
 	}
@@ -155,10 +156,10 @@ func tryDecodeSingleManifest(data []byte, defaultFn defaultFunc) (parsed bool, m
 		err = fmt.Errorf("invalid manifest: %v", errs)
 		return false, manifest, pod, err
 	}
-	if err = api.Scheme.Convert(&newManifest, &pod); err != nil {
+	if err = api.Scheme.Convert(&newManifest, pod); err != nil {
 		return true, manifest, pod, err
 	}
-	if err := defaultFn(&pod); err != nil {
+	if err := defaultFn(pod); err != nil {
 		return true, manifest, pod, err
 	}
 	// Success.
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/config.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/config.go
index bc4c1685693..5fb063f1f37 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/config.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/config.go
@@ -168,12 +168,12 @@ func (s *podStorage) Merge(source string, change interface{}) error {
 			s.updates <- *updates
 		}
 		if len(deletes.Pods) > 0 || len(adds.Pods) > 0 {
-			s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{s.MergedState().([]api.Pod), kubelet.SET, source}
+			s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{s.MergedState().([]*api.Pod), kubelet.SET, source}
 		}
 
 	case PodConfigNotificationSnapshot:
 		if len(updates.Pods) > 0 || len(deletes.Pods) > 0 || len(adds.Pods) > 0 {
-			s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{s.MergedState().([]api.Pod), kubelet.SET, source}
+			s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{s.MergedState().([]*api.Pod), kubelet.SET, source}
 		}
 
 	default:
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ func (s *podStorage) merge(source string, change interface{}) (adds, updates, de
 				if !reflect.DeepEqual(existing.Spec, ref.Spec) {
 					// this is an update
 					existing.Spec = ref.Spec
-					updates.Pods = append(updates.Pods, *existing)
+					updates.Pods = append(updates.Pods, existing)
 					continue
 				}
 				// this is a no-op
@@ -224,17 +224,17 @@ func (s *podStorage) merge(source string, change interface{}) (adds, updates, de
 			}
 			ref.Annotations[kubelet.ConfigSourceAnnotationKey] = source
 			pods[name] = ref
-			adds.Pods = append(adds.Pods, *ref)
+			adds.Pods = append(adds.Pods, ref)
 		}
 
 	case kubelet.REMOVE:
 		glog.V(4).Infof("Removing a pod %v", update)
 		for _, value := range update.Pods {
-			name := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&value)
+			name := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(value)
 			if existing, found := pods[name]; found {
 				// this is a delete
 				delete(pods, name)
-				deletes.Pods = append(deletes.Pods, *existing)
+				deletes.Pods = append(deletes.Pods, existing)
 				continue
 			}
 			// this is a no-op
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ func (s *podStorage) merge(source string, change interface{}) (adds, updates, de
 				if !reflect.DeepEqual(existing.Spec, ref.Spec) {
 					// this is an update
 					existing.Spec = ref.Spec
-					updates.Pods = append(updates.Pods, *existing)
+					updates.Pods = append(updates.Pods, existing)
 					continue
 				}
 				// this is a no-op
@@ -266,13 +266,13 @@ func (s *podStorage) merge(source string, change interface{}) (adds, updates, de
 			}
 			ref.Annotations[kubelet.ConfigSourceAnnotationKey] = source
 			pods[name] = ref
-			adds.Pods = append(adds.Pods, *ref)
+			adds.Pods = append(adds.Pods, ref)
 		}
 
 		for name, existing := range oldPods {
 			if _, found := pods[name]; !found {
 				// this is a delete
-				deletes.Pods = append(deletes.Pods, *existing)
+				deletes.Pods = append(deletes.Pods, existing)
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -297,10 +297,9 @@ func (s *podStorage) seenSources(sources ...string) bool {
 	return s.sourcesSeen.HasAll(sources...)
 }
 
-func filterInvalidPods(pods []api.Pod, source string, recorder record.EventRecorder) (filtered []*api.Pod) {
+func filterInvalidPods(pods []*api.Pod, source string, recorder record.EventRecorder) (filtered []*api.Pod) {
 	names := util.StringSet{}
-	for i := range pods {
-		pod := &pods[i]
+	for i, pod := range pods {
 		var errlist []error
 		if errs := validation.ValidatePod(pod); len(errs) != 0 {
 			errlist = append(errlist, errs...)
@@ -330,21 +329,21 @@ func filterInvalidPods(pods []api.Pod, source string, recorder record.EventRecor
 func (s *podStorage) Sync() {
 	s.updateLock.Lock()
 	defer s.updateLock.Unlock()
-	s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{s.MergedState().([]api.Pod), kubelet.SET, kubelet.AllSource}
+	s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{s.MergedState().([]*api.Pod), kubelet.SET, kubelet.AllSource}
 }
 
 // Object implements config.Accessor
 func (s *podStorage) MergedState() interface{} {
 	s.podLock.RLock()
 	defer s.podLock.RUnlock()
-	pods := make([]api.Pod, 0)
+	pods := make([]*api.Pod, 0)
 	for _, sourcePods := range s.pods {
 		for _, podRef := range sourcePods {
 			pod, err := api.Scheme.Copy(podRef)
 			if err != nil {
 				glog.Errorf("unable to copy pod: %v", err)
 			}
-			pods = append(pods, *pod.(*api.Pod))
+			pods = append(pods, pod.(*api.Pod))
 		}
 	}
 	return pods
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/config_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/config_test.go
index c9288b5d715..6f53db865c5 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/config_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/config_test.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ func expectEmptyChannel(t *testing.T, ch <-chan interface{}) {
 	}
 }
 
-type sortedPods []api.Pod
+type sortedPods []*api.Pod
 
 func (s sortedPods) Len() int {
 	return len(s)
@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@ func (s sortedPods) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	return s[i].Namespace < s[j].Namespace
 }
 
-func CreateValidPod(name, namespace, source string) api.Pod {
-	return api.Pod{
+func CreateValidPod(name, namespace, source string) *api.Pod {
+	return &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			UID:         types.UID(name), // for the purpose of testing, this is unique enough
 			Name:        name,
@@ -67,12 +67,8 @@ func CreateValidPod(name, namespace, source string) api.Pod {
 	}
 }
 
-func CreatePodUpdate(op kubelet.PodOperation, source string, pods ...api.Pod) kubelet.PodUpdate {
-	newPods := make([]api.Pod, len(pods))
-	for i := range pods {
-		newPods[i] = pods[i]
-	}
-	return kubelet.PodUpdate{newPods, op, source}
+func CreatePodUpdate(op kubelet.PodOperation, source string, pods ...*api.Pod) kubelet.PodUpdate {
+	return kubelet.PodUpdate{Pods: pods, Op: op, Source: source}
 }
 
 func createPodConfigTester(mode PodConfigNotificationMode) (chan<- interface{}, <-chan kubelet.PodUpdate, *PodConfig) {
@@ -162,7 +158,7 @@ func TestInvalidPodFiltered(t *testing.T) {
 	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.ADD, NoneSource, CreateValidPod("foo", "new", "test")))
 
 	// add an invalid update
-	podUpdate = CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.UPDATE, NoneSource, api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "foo"}})
+	podUpdate = CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.UPDATE, NoneSource, &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "foo"}})
 	channel <- podUpdate
 	expectNoPodUpdate(t, ch)
 }
@@ -179,10 +175,10 @@ func TestNewPodAddedSnapshotAndUpdates(t *testing.T) {
 	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.AllSource, CreateValidPod("foo", "new", "test")))
 
 	// container updates are separated as UPDATE
-	pod := podUpdate.Pods[0]
+	pod := *podUpdate.Pods[0]
 	pod.Spec.Containers = []api.Container{{Name: "bar", Image: "test", ImagePullPolicy: api.PullIfNotPresent}}
-	channel <- CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.ADD, NoneSource, pod)
-	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.UPDATE, NoneSource, pod))
+	channel <- CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.ADD, NoneSource, &pod)
+	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.UPDATE, NoneSource, &pod))
 }
 
 func TestNewPodAddedSnapshot(t *testing.T) {
@@ -197,10 +193,10 @@ func TestNewPodAddedSnapshot(t *testing.T) {
 	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.AllSource, CreateValidPod("foo", "new", "test")))
 
 	// container updates are separated as UPDATE
-	pod := podUpdate.Pods[0]
+	pod := *podUpdate.Pods[0]
 	pod.Spec.Containers = []api.Container{{Name: "bar", Image: "test", ImagePullPolicy: api.PullIfNotPresent}}
-	channel <- CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.ADD, NoneSource, pod)
-	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, TestSource, pod))
+	channel <- CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.ADD, NoneSource, &pod)
+	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, TestSource, &pod))
 }
 
 func TestNewPodAddedUpdatedRemoved(t *testing.T) {
@@ -221,7 +217,7 @@ func TestNewPodAddedUpdatedRemoved(t *testing.T) {
 	channel <- podUpdate
 	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.UPDATE, NoneSource, pod))
 
-	podUpdate = CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.REMOVE, NoneSource, api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "foo", Namespace: "new"}})
+	podUpdate = CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.REMOVE, NoneSource, &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "foo", Namespace: "new"}})
 	channel <- podUpdate
 	expectPodUpdate(t, ch, CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.REMOVE, NoneSource, pod))
 }
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/file.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/file.go
index bb75fa53a42..cfa48470561 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/file.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/file.go
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ func (s *sourceFile) extractFromPath() error {
 			return err
 		}
 		// Emit an update with an empty PodList to allow FileSource to be marked as seen
-		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]api.Pod{}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource}
+		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]*api.Pod{}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource}
 		return fmt.Errorf("path does not exist, ignoring")
 	}
 
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ func (s *sourceFile) extractFromPath() error {
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]api.Pod{pod}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource}
+		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]*api.Pod{pod}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource}
 
 	default:
 		return fmt.Errorf("path is not a directory or file")
@@ -95,13 +95,13 @@ func (s *sourceFile) extractFromPath() error {
 // Get as many pod configs as we can from a directory.  Return an error iff something
 // prevented us from reading anything at all.  Do not return an error if only some files
 // were problematic.
-func (s *sourceFile) extractFromDir(name string) ([]api.Pod, error) {
+func (s *sourceFile) extractFromDir(name string) ([]*api.Pod, error) {
 	dirents, err := filepath.Glob(filepath.Join(name, "[^.]*"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("glob failed: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	pods := make([]api.Pod, 0)
+	pods := make([]*api.Pod, 0)
 	if len(dirents) == 0 {
 		return pods, nil
 	}
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ func (s *sourceFile) extractFromDir(name string) ([]api.Pod, error) {
 	return pods, nil
 }
 
-func (s *sourceFile) extractFromFile(filename string) (pod api.Pod, err error) {
+func (s *sourceFile) extractFromFile(filename string) (pod *api.Pod, err error) {
 	glog.V(3).Infof("Reading config file %q", filename)
 	file, err := os.Open(filename)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/file_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/file_test.go
index 9ffa5608f3e..9871e47fb34 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/file_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/file_test.go
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ func TestReadFromFile(t *testing.T) {
 					"id": "test",
 					"containers": [{ "name": "image", "image": "test/image", "imagePullPolicy": "PullAlways"}]
 				}`,
-			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, api.Pod{
+			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, &api.Pod{
 				ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "test-" + hostname,
 					UID:       "12345",
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ func TestReadFromFile(t *testing.T) {
 					"uuid": "12345",
 					"containers": [{ "name": "image", "image": "test/image", "imagePullPolicy": "PullAlways"}]
 				}`,
-			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, api.Pod{
+			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, &api.Pod{
 				ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "12345-" + hostname,
 					UID:       "12345",
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ func TestReadFromFile(t *testing.T) {
 					"id": "test",
 					"containers": [{ "name": "image", "image": "test/image", "imagePullPolicy": "PullAlways"}]
 				}`,
-			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, api.Pod{
+			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, &api.Pod{
 				ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "test-" + hostname,
 					UID:       "12345",
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ func TestReadFromFile(t *testing.T) {
 						}
 					}
 				}`,
-			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, api.Pod{
+			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, &api.Pod{
 				ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "test-" + hostname,
 					UID:       "12345",
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ func TestReadFromFile(t *testing.T) {
 						}
 					}
 				}`,
-			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, api.Pod{
+			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, &api.Pod{
 				ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "12345-" + hostname,
 					UID:       "12345",
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ func TestReadFromFile(t *testing.T) {
 						"containers": [{ "name": "image", "image": "test/image" }]
 					}
 				}`,
-			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, api.Pod{
+			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET, kubelet.FileSource, &api.Pod{
 				ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "test-" + hostname,
 					UID:       "12345",
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ func TestReadFromFile(t *testing.T) {
 			case got := <-ch:
 				update := got.(kubelet.PodUpdate)
 				for _, pod := range update.Pods {
-					if errs := validation.ValidatePod(&pod); len(errs) > 0 {
+					if errs := validation.ValidatePod(pod); len(errs) > 0 {
 						t.Errorf("%s: Invalid pod %#v, %#v", testCase.desc, pod, errs)
 					}
 				}
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ func TestExtractFromEmptyDir(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func ExampleManifestAndPod(id string) (v1beta1.ContainerManifest, api.Pod) {
+func ExampleManifestAndPod(id string) (v1beta1.ContainerManifest, *api.Pod) {
 	hostname := "an-example-host"
 
 	manifest := v1beta1.ContainerManifest{
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ func ExampleManifestAndPod(id string) (v1beta1.ContainerManifest, api.Pod) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	expectedPod := api.Pod{
+	expectedPod := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			Name:      id + "-" + hostname,
 			UID:       types.UID(id),
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ func TestExtractFromDir(t *testing.T) {
 	manifest2, expectedPod2 := ExampleManifestAndPod("2")
 
 	manifests := []v1beta1.ContainerManifest{manifest, manifest2}
-	pods := []api.Pod{expectedPod, expectedPod2}
+	pods := []*api.Pod{expectedPod, expectedPod2}
 	files := make([]*os.File, len(manifests))
 
 	dirName, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "foo")
@@ -433,9 +433,9 @@ func TestExtractFromDir(t *testing.T) {
 	if !api.Semantic.DeepDerivative(expected, update) {
 		t.Fatalf("Expected %#v, Got %#v", expected, update)
 	}
-	for i := range update.Pods {
-		if errs := validation.ValidatePod(&update.Pods[i]); len(errs) != 0 {
-			t.Errorf("Expected no validation errors on %#v, Got %q", update.Pods[i], errs)
+	for _, pod := range update.Pods {
+		if errs := validation.ValidatePod(pod); len(errs) != 0 {
+			t.Errorf("Expected no validation errors on %#v, Got %q", pod, errs)
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/http.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/http.go
index 5ae1082efc3..e16efcfccce 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/http.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/http.go
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ func (s *sourceURL) extractFromURL() error {
 	}
 	if len(data) == 0 {
 		// Emit an update with an empty PodList to allow HTTPSource to be marked as seen
-		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]api.Pod{}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
+		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]*api.Pod{}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
 		return fmt.Errorf("zero-length data received from %v", s.url)
 	}
 	// Short circuit if the manifest has not changed since the last time it was read.
@@ -91,12 +91,12 @@ func (s *sourceURL) extractFromURL() error {
 			return singleErr
 		}
 		// It parsed!
-		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]api.Pod{pod}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
+		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]*api.Pod{pod}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
 		return nil
 	}
 
 	// That didn't work, so try an array of manifests.
-	parsed, manifests, pods, multiErr := tryDecodeManifestList(data, s.applyDefaults)
+	parsed, manifests, podList, multiErr := tryDecodeManifestList(data, s.applyDefaults)
 	if parsed {
 		if multiErr != nil {
 			// It parsed but could not be used.
@@ -110,7 +110,11 @@ func (s *sourceURL) extractFromURL() error {
 			return singleErr
 		}
 		// It parsed!
-		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{pods.Items, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
+		pods := make([]*api.Pod, 0)
+		for i := range podList.Items {
+			pods = append(pods, &podList.Items[i])
+		}
+		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{pods, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -124,18 +128,22 @@ func (s *sourceURL) extractFromURL() error {
 			// It parsed but could not be used.
 			return singlePodErr
 		}
-		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]api.Pod{pod}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
+		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{[]*api.Pod{pod}, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
 		return nil
 	}
 
 	// That didn't work, so try a list of pods.
-	parsed, pods, multiPodErr := tryDecodePodList(data, s.applyDefaults)
+	parsed, podList, multiPodErr := tryDecodePodList(data, s.applyDefaults)
 	if parsed {
 		if multiPodErr != nil {
 			// It parsed but could not be used.
 			return multiPodErr
 		}
-		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{pods.Items, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
+		pods := make([]*api.Pod, 0)
+		for i := range podList.Items {
+			pods = append(pods, &podList.Items[i])
+		}
+		s.updates <- kubelet.PodUpdate{pods, kubelet.SET, kubelet.HTTPSource}
 		return nil
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/http_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/http_test.go
index 0032f14625e..0db1c826c7b 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/http_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/http_test.go
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ func TestExtractManifestFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 				Containers: []v1beta1.Container{{Name: "1", Image: "foo", ImagePullPolicy: v1beta1.PullAlways}}},
 			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET,
 				kubelet.HTTPSource,
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "111",
 						Name:      "foo" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ func TestExtractManifestFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 				Containers: []v1beta1.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}}},
 			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET,
 				kubelet.HTTPSource,
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "111",
 						Name:      "111" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ func TestExtractManifestFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 				Containers: []v1beta1.Container{{Name: "1", Image: "foo", ImagePullPolicy: v1beta1.PullAlways}}},
 			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET,
 				kubelet.HTTPSource,
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "111",
 						Name:      "foo" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ func TestExtractManifestFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET,
 				kubelet.HTTPSource,
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "111",
 						Name:      "foo" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func TestExtractManifestFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 							ImagePullPolicy:        "Always"}},
 					},
 				},
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "222",
 						Name:      "bar" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -283,9 +283,9 @@ func TestExtractManifestFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 		if !api.Semantic.DeepEqual(testCase.expected, update) {
 			t.Errorf("%s: Expected: %#v, Got: %#v", testCase.desc, testCase.expected, update)
 		}
-		for i := range update.Pods {
-			if errs := validation.ValidatePod(&update.Pods[i]); len(errs) != 0 {
-				t.Errorf("%s: Expected no validation errors on %#v, Got %v", testCase.desc, update.Pods[i], errors.NewAggregate(errs))
+		for _, pod := range update.Pods {
+			if errs := validation.ValidatePod(pod); len(errs) != 0 {
+				t.Errorf("%s: Expected no validation errors on %#v, Got %v", testCase.desc, pod, errors.NewAggregate(errs))
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ func TestExtractPodsFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET,
 				kubelet.HTTPSource,
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "111",
 						Name:      "foo" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ func TestExtractPodsFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET,
 				kubelet.HTTPSource,
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "111",
 						Name:      "foo" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ func TestExtractPodsFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET,
 				kubelet.HTTPSource,
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "111",
 						Name:      "foo" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ func TestExtractPodsFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 							ImagePullPolicy:        "Always"}},
 					},
 				},
-				api.Pod{
+				&api.Pod{
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						UID:       "222",
 						Name:      "bar" + "-" + hostname,
@@ -472,9 +472,9 @@ func TestExtractPodsFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 		if !api.Semantic.DeepEqual(testCase.expected, update) {
 			t.Errorf("%s: Expected: %#v, Got: %#v", testCase.desc, testCase.expected, update)
 		}
-		for i := range update.Pods {
-			if errs := validation.ValidatePod(&update.Pods[i]); len(errs) != 0 {
-				t.Errorf("%s: Expected no validation errors on %#v, Got %v", testCase.desc, update.Pods[i], errors.NewAggregate(errs))
+		for _, pod := range update.Pods {
+			if errs := validation.ValidatePod(pod); len(errs) != 0 {
+				t.Errorf("%s: Expected no validation errors on %#v, Got %v", testCase.desc, pod, errors.NewAggregate(errs))
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
index b5629b3ceff..86848acdd1c 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ type SyncHandler interface {
 	// Syncs current state to match the specified pods. SyncPodType specified what
 	// type of sync is occuring per pod. StartTime specifies the time at which
 	// syncing began (for use in monitoring).
-	SyncPods(pods []api.Pod, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]metrics.SyncPodType, mirrorPods map[string]api.Pod,
+	SyncPods(pods []*api.Pod, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]metrics.SyncPodType, mirrorPods map[string]api.Pod,
 		startTime time.Time) error
 }
 
@@ -1319,7 +1319,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) syncPod(pod *api.Pod, mirrorPod *api.Pod, runningPod kubecont
 
 // Stores all volumes defined by the set of pods into a map.
 // Keys for each entry are in the format (POD_ID)/(VOLUME_NAME)
-func getDesiredVolumes(pods []api.Pod) map[string]api.Volume {
+func getDesiredVolumes(pods []*api.Pod) map[string]api.Volume {
 	desiredVolumes := make(map[string]api.Volume)
 	for _, pod := range pods {
 		for _, volume := range pod.Spec.Volumes {
@@ -1330,10 +1330,10 @@ func getDesiredVolumes(pods []api.Pod) map[string]api.Volume {
 	return desiredVolumes
 }
 
-func (kl *Kubelet) cleanupOrphanedPods(pods []api.Pod) error {
+func (kl *Kubelet) cleanupOrphanedPods(pods []*api.Pod) error {
 	desired := util.NewStringSet()
-	for i := range pods {
-		desired.Insert(string(pods[i].UID))
+	for _, pod := range pods {
+		desired.Insert(string(pod.UID))
 	}
 	found, err := kl.listPodsFromDisk()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1353,7 +1353,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) cleanupOrphanedPods(pods []api.Pod) error {
 
 // Compares the map of current volumes to the map of desired volumes.
 // If an active volume does not have a respective desired volume, clean it up.
-func (kl *Kubelet) cleanupOrphanedVolumes(pods []api.Pod, running []*docker.Container) error {
+func (kl *Kubelet) cleanupOrphanedVolumes(pods []*api.Pod, running []*docker.Container) error {
 	desiredVolumes := getDesiredVolumes(pods)
 	currentVolumes := kl.getPodVolumesFromDisk()
 	runningSet := util.StringSet{}
@@ -1388,7 +1388,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) cleanupOrphanedVolumes(pods []api.Pod, running []*docker.Cont
 }
 
 // SyncPods synchronizes the configured list of pods (desired state) with the host current state.
-func (kl *Kubelet) SyncPods(allPods []api.Pod, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]metrics.SyncPodType,
+func (kl *Kubelet) SyncPods(allPods []*api.Pod, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]metrics.SyncPodType,
 	mirrorPods map[string]api.Pod, start time.Time) error {
 	defer func() {
 		metrics.SyncPodsLatency.Observe(metrics.SinceInMicroseconds(start))
@@ -1397,15 +1397,15 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) SyncPods(allPods []api.Pod, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]metric
 	// Remove obsolete entries in podStatus where the pod is no longer considered bound to this node.
 	podFullNames := make(map[string]bool)
 	for _, pod := range allPods {
-		podFullNames[kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pod)] = true
+		podFullNames[kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod)] = true
 	}
 	kl.statusManager.RemoveOrphanedStatuses(podFullNames)
 
 	// Filter out the rejected pod. They don't have running containers.
 	kl.handleNotFittingPods(allPods)
-	var pods []api.Pod
+	var pods []*api.Pod
 	for _, pod := range allPods {
-		status, ok := kl.statusManager.GetPodStatus(kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pod))
+		status, ok := kl.statusManager.GetPodStatus(kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod))
 		if ok && status.Phase == api.PodFailed {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -1423,8 +1423,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) SyncPods(allPods []api.Pod, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]metric
 	}
 
 	// Check for any containers that need starting
-	for ix := range pods {
-		pod := &pods[ix]
+	for _, pod := range pods {
 		podFullName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod)
 		uid := pod.UID
 		desiredPods[uid] = empty{}
@@ -1504,7 +1503,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) SyncPods(allPods []api.Pod, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]metric
 	return err
 }
 
-type podsByCreationTime []api.Pod
+type podsByCreationTime []*api.Pod
 
 func (s podsByCreationTime) Len() int {
 	return len(s)
@@ -1519,31 +1518,30 @@ func (s podsByCreationTime) Less(i, j int) bool {
 }
 
 // checkHostPortConflicts detects pods with conflicted host ports.
-func checkHostPortConflicts(pods []api.Pod) (fitting []api.Pod, notFitting []api.Pod) {
+func checkHostPortConflicts(pods []*api.Pod) (fitting []*api.Pod, notFitting []*api.Pod) {
 	ports := map[int]bool{}
 	extract := func(p *api.ContainerPort) int { return p.HostPort }
 
 	// Respect the pod creation order when resolving conflicts.
 	sort.Sort(podsByCreationTime(pods))
 
-	for i := range pods {
-		pod := &pods[i]
+	for _, pod := range pods {
 		if errs := validation.AccumulateUniquePorts(pod.Spec.Containers, ports, extract); len(errs) != 0 {
 			glog.Errorf("Pod %q: HostPort is already allocated, ignoring: %v", kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod), errs)
-			notFitting = append(notFitting, *pod)
+			notFitting = append(notFitting, pod)
 			continue
 		}
-		fitting = append(fitting, *pod)
+		fitting = append(fitting, pod)
 	}
 	return
 }
 
 // checkCapacityExceeded detects pods that exceeds node's resources.
-func (kl *Kubelet) checkCapacityExceeded(pods []api.Pod) (fitting []api.Pod, notFitting []api.Pod) {
+func (kl *Kubelet) checkCapacityExceeded(pods []*api.Pod) (fitting []*api.Pod, notFitting []*api.Pod) {
 	info, err := kl.GetCachedMachineInfo()
 	if err != nil {
 		glog.Errorf("error getting machine info: %v", err)
-		return pods, []api.Pod{}
+		return pods, nil
 	}
 
 	// Respect the pod creation order when resolving conflicts.
@@ -1554,14 +1552,14 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) checkCapacityExceeded(pods []api.Pod) (fitting []api.Pod, not
 }
 
 // checkNodeSelectorMatching detects pods that do not match node's labels.
-func (kl *Kubelet) checkNodeSelectorMatching(pods []api.Pod) (fitting []api.Pod, notFitting []api.Pod) {
+func (kl *Kubelet) checkNodeSelectorMatching(pods []*api.Pod) (fitting []*api.Pod, notFitting []*api.Pod) {
 	node, err := kl.GetNode()
 	if err != nil {
 		glog.Errorf("error getting node: %v", err)
-		return pods, []api.Pod{}
+		return pods, nil
 	}
 	for _, pod := range pods {
-		if !scheduler.PodMatchesNodeLabels(&pod, node) {
+		if !scheduler.PodMatchesNodeLabels(pod, node) {
 			notFitting = append(notFitting, pod)
 			continue
 		}
@@ -1572,25 +1570,25 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) checkNodeSelectorMatching(pods []api.Pod) (fitting []api.Pod,
 
 // handleNotfittingPods handles pods that do not fit on the node.
 // Currently conflicts on Port.HostPort values, matching node's labels and exceeding node's capacity are handled.
-func (kl *Kubelet) handleNotFittingPods(pods []api.Pod) {
+func (kl *Kubelet) handleNotFittingPods(pods []*api.Pod) {
 	fitting, notFitting := checkHostPortConflicts(pods)
 	for _, pod := range notFitting {
-		kl.recorder.Eventf(&pod, "hostPortConflict", "Cannot start the pod due to host port conflict.")
-		kl.statusManager.SetPodStatus(&pod, api.PodStatus{
+		kl.recorder.Eventf(pod, "hostPortConflict", "Cannot start the pod due to host port conflict.")
+		kl.statusManager.SetPodStatus(pod, api.PodStatus{
 			Phase:   api.PodFailed,
 			Message: "Pod cannot be started due to host port conflict"})
 	}
 	fitting, notFitting = kl.checkNodeSelectorMatching(fitting)
 	for _, pod := range notFitting {
-		kl.recorder.Eventf(&pod, "nodeSelectorMismatching", "Cannot start the pod due to node selector mismatch.")
-		kl.statusManager.SetPodStatus(&pod, api.PodStatus{
+		kl.recorder.Eventf(pod, "nodeSelectorMismatching", "Cannot start the pod due to node selector mismatch.")
+		kl.statusManager.SetPodStatus(pod, api.PodStatus{
 			Phase:   api.PodFailed,
 			Message: "Pod cannot be started due to node selector mismatch"})
 	}
 	fitting, notFitting = kl.checkCapacityExceeded(fitting)
 	for _, pod := range notFitting {
-		kl.recorder.Eventf(&pod, "capacityExceeded", "Cannot start the pod due to exceeded capacity.")
-		kl.statusManager.SetPodStatus(&pod, api.PodStatus{
+		kl.recorder.Eventf(pod, "capacityExceeded", "Cannot start the pod due to exceeded capacity.")
+		kl.statusManager.SetPodStatus(pod, api.PodStatus{
 			Phase:   api.PodFailed,
 			Message: "Pod cannot be started due to exceeded capacity"})
 	}
@@ -1716,7 +1714,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) GetHostIP() (net.IP, error) {
 
 // GetPods returns all pods bound to the kubelet and their spec, and the mirror
 // pods.
-func (kl *Kubelet) GetPods() []api.Pod {
+func (kl *Kubelet) GetPods() []*api.Pod {
 	return kl.podManager.GetPods()
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_test.go
index 7a56906a333..494b59d49e3 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_test.go
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDoesNothing(t *testing.T) {
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
 
 	container := api.Container{Name: "bar"}
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDoesNothing(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			// pod infra container
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 	}
@@ -527,7 +527,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsWithTerminationLog(t *testing.T) {
 		TerminationMessagePath: "/dev/somepath",
 	}
 	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{}
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsCreatesNetAndContainer(t *testing.T) {
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
 	kubelet.containerManager.PodInfraContainerImage = "custom_image_name"
 	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{}
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -649,7 +649,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsCreatesNetAndContainerPullsImage(t *testing.T) {
 	puller.HasImages = []string{}
 	kubelet.containerManager.PodInfraContainerImage = "custom_image_name"
 	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{}
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -702,7 +702,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsWithPodInfraCreatesContainer(t *testing.T) {
 	kubelet := testKubelet.kubelet
 	fakeDocker := testKubelet.fakeDocker
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -719,7 +719,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsWithPodInfraCreatesContainer(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{
 		{
 			// pod infra container
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 	}
@@ -765,7 +765,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsWithPodInfraCreatesContainerCallsHandler(t *testing.T) {
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
 	fakeHttp := fakeHTTP{}
 	kubelet.httpClient = &fakeHttp
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -793,7 +793,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsWithPodInfraCreatesContainerCallsHandler(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{
 		{
 			// pod infra container
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 	}
@@ -841,7 +841,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDeletesWithNoPodInfraContainer(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeDocker := testKubelet.fakeDocker
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -880,7 +880,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDeletesWithNoPodInfraContainer(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			// format is // k8s_<container-id>_<pod-fullname>_<pod-uid>
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo2_new_87654321_0"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo2_new_87654321_0"},
 			ID:    "8765",
 		},
 	}
@@ -966,7 +966,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDeletesWhenSourcesAreReady(t *testing.T) {
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 	}
-	if err := kubelet.SyncPods([]api.Pod{}, emptyPodUIDs, map[string]api.Pod{}, time.Now()); err != nil {
+	if err := kubelet.SyncPods([]*api.Pod{}, emptyPodUIDs, map[string]api.Pod{}, time.Now()); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
 	// Validate nothing happened.
@@ -974,7 +974,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDeletesWhenSourcesAreReady(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeDocker.ClearCalls()
 
 	ready = true
-	if err := kubelet.SyncPods([]api.Pod{}, emptyPodUIDs, map[string]api.Pod{}, time.Now()); err != nil {
+	if err := kubelet.SyncPods([]*api.Pod{}, emptyPodUIDs, map[string]api.Pod{}, time.Now()); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
 	verifyCalls(t, fakeDocker, []string{"list", "stop", "stop", "inspect_container", "inspect_container"})
@@ -1013,7 +1013,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDeletes(t *testing.T) {
 			ID:    "4567",
 		},
 	}
-	err := kubelet.SyncPods([]api.Pod{}, emptyPodUIDs, map[string]api.Pod{}, time.Now())
+	err := kubelet.SyncPods([]*api.Pod{}, emptyPodUIDs, map[string]api.Pod{}, time.Now())
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -1040,7 +1040,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDeletesDuplicate(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeDocker := testKubelet.fakeDocker
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -1063,7 +1063,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsDeletesDuplicate(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			// pod infra container
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_bar_new_12345678_2222"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_bar_new_12345678_2222"},
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 		{
@@ -1121,7 +1121,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsBadHash(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeDocker := testKubelet.fakeDocker
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -1144,7 +1144,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsBadHash(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			// pod infra container
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_42"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_42"},
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 	}
@@ -1192,7 +1192,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsUnhealthy(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeDocker := testKubelet.fakeDocker
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -1219,7 +1219,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsUnhealthy(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			// pod infra container
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_42"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_42"},
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 	}
@@ -1808,7 +1808,7 @@ func TestSyncPodEventHandlerFails(t *testing.T) {
 		err: fmt.Errorf("test error"),
 	}
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -1836,7 +1836,7 @@ func TestSyncPodEventHandlerFails(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{
 		{
 			// pod infra container
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_42"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_42"},
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 	}
@@ -1892,7 +1892,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsWithPullPolicy(t *testing.T) {
 	kubelet.containerManager.PodInfraContainerImage = "custom_image_name"
 	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{}
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -3005,7 +3005,7 @@ func TestPortForward(t *testing.T) {
 
 // Tests that identify the host port conflicts are detected correctly.
 func TestGetHostPortConflicts(t *testing.T) {
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{Spec: api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Ports: []api.ContainerPort{{HostPort: 80}}}}}},
 		{Spec: api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Ports: []api.ContainerPort{{HostPort: 81}}}}}},
 		{Spec: api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Ports: []api.ContainerPort{{HostPort: 82}}}}}},
@@ -3018,11 +3018,11 @@ func TestGetHostPortConflicts(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// The new pod should cause conflict and be reported.
-	expected := api.Pod{
+	expected := &api.Pod{
 		Spec: api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Ports: []api.ContainerPort{{HostPort: 81}}}}},
 	}
 	pods = append(pods, expected)
-	if _, actual := checkHostPortConflicts(pods); !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, []api.Pod{expected}) {
+	if _, actual := checkHostPortConflicts(pods); !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, []*api.Pod{expected}) {
 		t.Errorf("expected %#v, Got %#v", expected, actual)
 	}
 }
@@ -3034,7 +3034,7 @@ func TestHandlePortConflicts(t *testing.T) {
 	testKubelet.fakeCadvisor.On("MachineInfo").Return(&cadvisorApi.MachineInfo{}, nil)
 
 	spec := api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Ports: []api.ContainerPort{{HostPort: 80}}}}}
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "123456789",
@@ -3056,7 +3056,7 @@ func TestHandlePortConflicts(t *testing.T) {
 	pods[1].CreationTimestamp = util.NewTime(time.Now())
 	pods[0].CreationTimestamp = util.NewTime(time.Now().Add(1 * time.Second))
 	// The newer pod should be rejected.
-	conflictedPodName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pods[0])
+	conflictedPodName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pods[0])
 
 	kl.handleNotFittingPods(pods)
 	// Check pod status stored in the status map.
@@ -3087,7 +3087,7 @@ func TestHandleNodeSelector(t *testing.T) {
 		{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "testnode", Labels: map[string]string{"key": "B"}}},
 	}}
 	testKubelet.fakeCadvisor.On("MachineInfo").Return(&cadvisorApi.MachineInfo{}, nil)
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "123456789",
@@ -3106,7 +3106,7 @@ func TestHandleNodeSelector(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	// The first pod should be rejected.
-	notfittingPodName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pods[0])
+	notfittingPodName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pods[0])
 
 	kl.handleNotFittingPods(pods)
 	// Check pod status stored in the status map.
@@ -3140,7 +3140,7 @@ func TestHandleMemExceeded(t *testing.T) {
 			"memory": resource.MustParse("90"),
 		},
 	}}}}
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "123456789",
@@ -3162,7 +3162,7 @@ func TestHandleMemExceeded(t *testing.T) {
 	pods[1].CreationTimestamp = util.NewTime(time.Now())
 	pods[0].CreationTimestamp = util.NewTime(time.Now().Add(1 * time.Second))
 	// The newer pod should be rejected.
-	notfittingPodName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pods[0])
+	notfittingPodName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pods[0])
 
 	kl.handleNotFittingPods(pods)
 	// Check pod status stored in the status map.
@@ -3191,7 +3191,7 @@ func TestPurgingObsoleteStatusMapEntries(t *testing.T) {
 	testKubelet.fakeCadvisor.On("MachineInfo").Return(&cadvisorApi.MachineInfo{}, nil)
 
 	kl := testKubelet.kubelet
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "pod1"}, Spec: api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Ports: []api.ContainerPort{{HostPort: 80}}}}}},
 		{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "pod2"}, Spec: api.PodSpec{Containers: []api.Container{{Ports: []api.ContainerPort{{HostPort: 80}}}}}},
 	}
@@ -3201,7 +3201,7 @@ func TestPurgingObsoleteStatusMapEntries(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected to have status cached for %q: %v", "pod2", err)
 	}
 	// Sync with empty pods so that the entry in status map will be removed.
-	kl.SyncPods([]api.Pod{}, emptyPodUIDs, map[string]api.Pod{}, time.Now())
+	kl.SyncPods([]*api.Pod{}, emptyPodUIDs, map[string]api.Pod{}, time.Now())
 	if _, err := kl.GetPodStatus(kubecontainer.BuildPodFullName("pod2", "")); err == nil {
 		t.Fatalf("expected to not have status cached for %q: %v", "pod2", err)
 	}
@@ -3483,7 +3483,7 @@ func TestCreateMirrorPod(t *testing.T) {
 	testKubelet := newTestKubelet(t)
 	kl := testKubelet.kubelet
 	manager := testKubelet.fakeMirrorClient
-	pod := api.Pod{
+	pod := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			UID:       "12345678",
 			Name:      "bar",
@@ -3493,13 +3493,13 @@ func TestCreateMirrorPod(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	pods := []api.Pod{pod}
+	pods := []*api.Pod{pod}
 	kl.podManager.SetPods(pods)
-	err := kl.syncPod(&pod, nil, container.Pod{})
+	err := kl.syncPod(pod, nil, container.Pod{})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
-	podFullName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pod)
+	podFullName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod)
 	if !manager.HasPod(podFullName) {
 		t.Errorf("expected mirror pod %q to be created", podFullName)
 	}
@@ -3513,7 +3513,7 @@ func TestDeleteOutdatedMirrorPod(t *testing.T) {
 	testKubelet.fakeCadvisor.On("MachineInfo").Return(&cadvisorApi.MachineInfo{}, nil)
 	kl := testKubelet.kubelet
 	manager := testKubelet.fakeMirrorClient
-	pod := api.Pod{
+	pod := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			UID:       "12345678",
 			Name:      "foo",
@@ -3529,7 +3529,7 @@ func TestDeleteOutdatedMirrorPod(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	// Mirror pod has an outdated spec.
-	mirrorPod := api.Pod{
+	mirrorPod := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			UID:       "11111111",
 			Name:      "foo",
@@ -3546,13 +3546,13 @@ func TestDeleteOutdatedMirrorPod(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{pod, mirrorPod}
+	pods := []*api.Pod{pod, mirrorPod}
 	kl.podManager.SetPods(pods)
-	err := kl.syncPod(&pod, &mirrorPod, container.Pod{})
+	err := kl.syncPod(pod, mirrorPod, container.Pod{})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
-	name := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pod)
+	name := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod)
 	creates, deletes := manager.GetCounts(name)
 	if creates != 0 || deletes != 1 {
 		t.Errorf("expected 0 creation and 1 deletion of %q, got %d, %d", name, creates, deletes)
@@ -3564,7 +3564,7 @@ func TestDeleteOrphanedMirrorPods(t *testing.T) {
 	testKubelet.fakeCadvisor.On("MachineInfo").Return(&cadvisorApi.MachineInfo{}, nil)
 	kl := testKubelet.kubelet
 	manager := testKubelet.fakeMirrorClient
-	orphanPods := []api.Pod{
+	orphanPods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -3600,7 +3600,7 @@ func TestDeleteOrphanedMirrorPods(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("expected zero mirror pods, got %v", manager.GetPods())
 	}
 	for _, pod := range orphanPods {
-		name := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pod)
+		name := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod)
 		creates, deletes := manager.GetCounts(name)
 		if creates != 0 || deletes != 1 {
 			t.Errorf("expected 0 creation and one deletion of %q, got %d, %d", name, creates, deletes)
@@ -3611,7 +3611,7 @@ func TestDeleteOrphanedMirrorPods(t *testing.T) {
 func TestGetContainerInfoForMirrorPods(t *testing.T) {
 	// pods contain one static and one mirror pod with the same name but
 	// different UIDs.
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "1234",
@@ -3685,7 +3685,7 @@ func TestDoNotCacheStatusForStaticPods(t *testing.T) {
 	kubelet := testKubelet.kubelet
 	waitGroup := testKubelet.waitGroup
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -3709,7 +3709,7 @@ func TestDoNotCacheStatusForStaticPods(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
 	waitGroup.Wait()
-	podFullName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pods[0])
+	podFullName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pods[0])
 	status, ok := kubelet.statusManager.GetPodStatus(podFullName)
 	if ok {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected status %#v found for static pod %q", status, podFullName)
@@ -3739,7 +3739,7 @@ func TestHostNetworkAllowed(t *testing.T) {
 			HostNetwork: true,
 		},
 	}
-	kubelet.podManager.SetPods([]api.Pod{*pod})
+	kubelet.podManager.SetPods([]*api.Pod{pod})
 	err := kubelet.syncPod(pod, nil, container.Pod{})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("expected pod infra creation to succeed: %v", err)
@@ -3786,7 +3786,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsWithRestartPolicy(t *testing.T) {
 		{Name: "succeeded"},
 		{Name: "failed"},
 	}
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
@@ -3802,7 +3802,7 @@ func TestSyncPodsWithRestartPolicy(t *testing.T) {
 	runningAPIContainers := []docker.APIContainers{
 		{
 			// pod infra container
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
+			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
 			ID:    "9876",
 		},
 	}
@@ -4019,7 +4019,7 @@ func TestGetPodStatusWithLastTermination(t *testing.T) {
 		fakeDocker.ExitedContainerList = exitedAPIContainers
 		fakeDocker.ContainerMap = containerMap
 		fakeDocker.ClearCalls()
-		pods := []api.Pod{
+		pods := []*api.Pod{
 			{
 				ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 					UID:       "12345678",
@@ -4035,7 +4035,7 @@ func TestGetPodStatusWithLastTermination(t *testing.T) {
 		fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{
 			{
 				// pod infra container
-				Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(&pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
+				Names: []string{"/k8s_POD." + strconv.FormatUint(generatePodInfraContainerHash(pods[0]), 16) + "_foo_new_12345678_0"},
 				ID:    "9876",
 			},
 		}
@@ -4048,7 +4048,7 @@ func TestGetPodStatusWithLastTermination(t *testing.T) {
 		waitGroup.Wait()
 
 		// Check if we can retrieve the pod status from GetPodStatus().
-		podName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pods[0])
+		podName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pods[0])
 		status, err := kubelet.GetPodStatus(podName)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("unable to retrieve pod status for pod %q: %#v.", podName, err)
@@ -4084,7 +4084,7 @@ func TestGetPodCreationFailureReason(t *testing.T) {
 		"create": fmt.Errorf("%s", failureReason),
 	}
 	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{}
-	pod := api.Pod{
+	pod := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			UID:       "12345678",
 			Name:      "bar",
@@ -4096,13 +4096,13 @@ func TestGetPodCreationFailureReason(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	pods := []api.Pod{pod}
+	pods := []*api.Pod{pod}
 	kubelet.podManager.SetPods(pods)
-	_, err := kubelet.runContainer(&pod, &pod.Spec.Containers[0], make(map[string]volume.Volume), "", "")
+	_, err := kubelet.runContainer(pod, &pod.Spec.Containers[0], make(map[string]volume.Volume), "", "")
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Errorf("expected error, found nil")
 	}
-	status, err := kubelet.GetPodStatus(kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pod))
+	status, err := kubelet.GetPodStatus(kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/pod_manager.go b/pkg/kubelet/pod_manager.go
index 11658998150..7bdd2909117 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/pod_manager.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/pod_manager.go
@@ -43,11 +43,11 @@ import (
 // also be removed.
 
 type podManager interface {
-	GetPods() []api.Pod
+	GetPods() []*api.Pod
 	GetPodByFullName(podFullName string) (*api.Pod, bool)
 	GetPodByName(namespace, name string) (*api.Pod, bool)
-	GetPodsAndMirrorMap() ([]api.Pod, map[string]api.Pod)
-	SetPods(pods []api.Pod)
+	GetPodsAndMirrorMap() ([]*api.Pod, map[string]api.Pod)
+	SetPods(pods []*api.Pod)
 	UpdatePods(u PodUpdate, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]metrics.SyncPodType)
 	DeleteOrphanedMirrorPods()
 	TranslatePodUID(uid types.UID) types.UID
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ type basicPodManager struct {
 func newBasicPodManager(apiserverClient client.Interface) *basicPodManager {
 	pm := &basicPodManager{}
 	pm.mirrorClient = newBasicMirrorClient(apiserverClient)
-	pm.SetPods([]api.Pod{})
+	pm.SetPods(nil)
 	return pm
 }
 
@@ -127,27 +127,26 @@ func (self *basicPodManager) UpdatePods(u PodUpdate, podSyncTypes map[types.UID]
 }
 
 // Set the internal pods based on the new pods.
-func (self *basicPodManager) SetPods(newPods []api.Pod) {
+func (self *basicPodManager) SetPods(newPods []*api.Pod) {
 	self.lock.Lock()
 	defer self.lock.Unlock()
 	self.setPods(newPods)
 }
 
-func (self *basicPodManager) setPods(newPods []api.Pod) {
+func (self *basicPodManager) setPods(newPods []*api.Pod) {
 	podByUID := make(map[types.UID]*api.Pod)
 	mirrorPodByUID := make(map[types.UID]*api.Pod)
 	podByFullName := make(map[string]*api.Pod)
 	mirrorPodByFullName := make(map[string]*api.Pod)
 
-	for i := range newPods {
-		pod := newPods[i]
-		podFullName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&pod)
-		if isMirrorPod(&pod) {
-			mirrorPodByUID[pod.UID] = &pod
-			mirrorPodByFullName[podFullName] = &pod
+	for _, pod := range newPods {
+		podFullName := kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(pod)
+		if isMirrorPod(pod) {
+			mirrorPodByUID[pod.UID] = pod
+			mirrorPodByFullName[podFullName] = pod
 		} else {
-			podByUID[pod.UID] = &pod
-			podByFullName[podFullName] = &pod
+			podByUID[pod.UID] = pod
+			podByFullName[podFullName] = pod
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -157,21 +156,19 @@ func (self *basicPodManager) setPods(newPods []api.Pod) {
 	self.mirrorPodByFullName = mirrorPodByFullName
 }
 
-func applyUpdates(changed []api.Pod, current []api.Pod) []api.Pod {
-	updated := []api.Pod{}
+func applyUpdates(changed []*api.Pod, current []*api.Pod) []*api.Pod {
+	updated := []*api.Pod{}
 	m := map[types.UID]*api.Pod{}
-	for i := range changed {
-		pod := &changed[i]
+	for _, pod := range changed {
 		m[pod.UID] = pod
 	}
 
-	for i := range current {
-		pod := &current[i]
+	for _, pod := range current {
 		if m[pod.UID] != nil {
-			updated = append(updated, *m[pod.UID])
+			updated = append(updated, m[pod.UID])
 			glog.V(4).Infof("pod with UID: %q has a new spec %+v", pod.UID, *m[pod.UID])
 		} else {
-			updated = append(updated, *pod)
+			updated = append(updated, pod)
 			glog.V(4).Infof("pod with UID: %q stay with the same spec %+v", pod.UID, *pod)
 		}
 	}
@@ -180,20 +177,20 @@ func applyUpdates(changed []api.Pod, current []api.Pod) []api.Pod {
 }
 
 // GetPods returns the regular pods bound to the kubelet and their spec.
-func (self *basicPodManager) GetPods() []api.Pod {
+func (self *basicPodManager) GetPods() []*api.Pod {
 	self.lock.RLock()
 	defer self.lock.RUnlock()
 	return podsMapToPods(self.podByUID)
 }
 
 // Returns all pods (including mirror pods).
-func (self *basicPodManager) getAllPods() []api.Pod {
+func (self *basicPodManager) getAllPods() []*api.Pod {
 	return append(podsMapToPods(self.podByUID), podsMapToPods(self.mirrorPodByUID)...)
 }
 
 // GetPodsAndMirrorMap returns the a copy of the regular pods and the mirror
 // pods indexed by full name.
-func (self *basicPodManager) GetPodsAndMirrorMap() ([]api.Pod, map[string]api.Pod) {
+func (self *basicPodManager) GetPodsAndMirrorMap() ([]*api.Pod, map[string]api.Pod) {
 	self.lock.RLock()
 	defer self.lock.RUnlock()
 	mirrorPods := make(map[string]api.Pod)
@@ -270,10 +267,10 @@ func (self *basicPodManager) IsMirrorPodOf(mirrorPod, pod *api.Pod) bool {
 	return api.Semantic.DeepEqual(&pod.Spec, &mirrorPod.Spec)
 }
 
-func podsMapToPods(UIDMap map[types.UID]*api.Pod) []api.Pod {
-	pods := make([]api.Pod, 0, len(UIDMap))
+func podsMapToPods(UIDMap map[types.UID]*api.Pod) []*api.Pod {
+	pods := make([]*api.Pod, 0, len(UIDMap))
 	for _, pod := range UIDMap {
-		pods = append(pods, *pod)
+		pods = append(pods, pod)
 	}
 	return pods
 }
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/pod_manager_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/pod_manager_test.go
index 1e4c88b64b6..90fbdee50be 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/pod_manager_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/pod_manager_test.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func newFakePodManager() (*basicPodManager, *fakeMirrorClient) {
 // Tests that pods/maps are properly set after the pod update, and the basic
 // methods work correctly.
 func TestGetSetPods(t *testing.T) {
-	mirrorPod := api.Pod{
+	mirrorPod := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			UID:       "987654321",
 			Name:      "bar",
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ func TestGetSetPods(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	staticPod := api.Pod{
+	staticPod := &api.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			UID:         "123456789",
 			Name:        "bar",
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func TestGetSetPods(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	expectedPods := []api.Pod{
+	expectedPods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:         "999999999",
@@ -98,11 +98,11 @@ func TestGetSetPods(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Test the basic Get methods.
 	actualPod, ok := podManager.GetPodByFullName("bar_default")
-	if !ok || !reflect.DeepEqual(actualPod, &staticPod) {
+	if !ok || !reflect.DeepEqual(actualPod, staticPod) {
 		t.Errorf("unable to get pod by full name; expected: %#v, got: %#v", staticPod, actualPod)
 	}
 	actualPod, ok = podManager.GetPodByName("default", "bar")
-	if !ok || !reflect.DeepEqual(actualPod, &staticPod) {
+	if !ok || !reflect.DeepEqual(actualPod, staticPod) {
 		t.Errorf("unable to get pod by name; expected: %#v, got: %#v", staticPod, actualPod)
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/runonce.go b/pkg/kubelet/runonce.go
index 67f53de042e..f040c5faa62 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/runonce.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/runonce.go
@@ -51,16 +51,15 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) RunOnce(updates <-chan PodUpdate) ([]RunPodResult, error) {
 }
 
 // runOnce runs a given set of pods and returns their status.
-func (kl *Kubelet) runOnce(pods []api.Pod, retryDelay time.Duration) (results []RunPodResult, err error) {
+func (kl *Kubelet) runOnce(pods []*api.Pod, retryDelay time.Duration) (results []RunPodResult, err error) {
 	kl.handleNotFittingPods(pods)
 
 	ch := make(chan RunPodResult)
-	for i := range pods {
-		pod := pods[i] // Make a copy
-		go func() {
+	for _, pod := range pods {
+		go func(pod *api.Pod) {
 			err := kl.runPod(pod, retryDelay)
-			ch <- RunPodResult{&pod, err}
-		}()
+			ch <- RunPodResult{pod, err}
+		}(pod)
 	}
 
 	glog.Infof("waiting for %d pods", len(pods))
@@ -84,7 +83,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) runOnce(pods []api.Pod, retryDelay time.Duration) (results []
 }
 
 // runPod runs a single pod and wait until all containers are running.
-func (kl *Kubelet) runPod(pod api.Pod, retryDelay time.Duration) error {
+func (kl *Kubelet) runPod(pod *api.Pod, retryDelay time.Duration) error {
 	delay := retryDelay
 	retry := 0
 	for {
@@ -104,7 +103,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) runPod(pod api.Pod, retryDelay time.Duration) error {
 		glog.Infof("pod %q containers not running: syncing", pod.Name)
 		// We don't create mirror pods in this mode; pass a dummy boolean value
 		// to sycnPod.
-		if err = kl.syncPod(&pod, nil, p); err != nil {
+		if err = kl.syncPod(pod, nil, p); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("error syncing pod: %v", err)
 		}
 		if retry >= RunOnceMaxRetries {
@@ -119,7 +118,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) runPod(pod api.Pod, retryDelay time.Duration) error {
 }
 
 // isPodRunning returns true if all containers of a manifest are running.
-func (kl *Kubelet) isPodRunning(pod api.Pod, runningPod container.Pod) (bool, error) {
+func (kl *Kubelet) isPodRunning(pod *api.Pod, runningPod container.Pod) (bool, error) {
 	for _, container := range pod.Spec.Containers {
 		c := runningPod.FindContainerByName(container.Name)
 		if c == nil {
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/runonce_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/runonce_test.go
index 75ddab52b69..264ff3b3365 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/runonce_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/runonce_test.go
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ func TestRunOnce(t *testing.T) {
 	kb.containerManager = dockertools.NewDockerManager(kb.dockerClient, kb.recorder, dockertools.PodInfraContainerImage, 0, 0)
 	kb.containerManager.Puller = &dockertools.FakeDockerPuller{}
 
-	pods := []api.Pod{
+	pods := []*api.Pod{
 		{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				UID:       "12345678",
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/server.go b/pkg/kubelet/server.go
index c051e9f414f..78e80e45f55 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/server.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/server.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ type HostInterface interface {
 	GetRootInfo(req *cadvisorApi.ContainerInfoRequest) (*cadvisorApi.ContainerInfo, error)
 	GetDockerVersion() ([]uint, error)
 	GetCachedMachineInfo() (*cadvisorApi.MachineInfo, error)
-	GetPods() []api.Pod
+	GetPods() []*api.Pod
 	GetPodByName(namespace, name string) (*api.Pod, bool)
 	GetPodStatus(name string) (api.PodStatus, error)
 	RunInContainer(name string, uid types.UID, container string, cmd []string) ([]byte, error)
@@ -279,8 +279,9 @@ func (s *Server) handleContainerLogs(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 // handlePods returns a list of pod bound to the Kubelet and their spec
 func (s *Server) handlePods(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 	pods := s.host.GetPods()
-	podList := &api.PodList{
-		Items: pods,
+	podList := new(api.PodList)
+	for _, pod := range pods {
+		podList.Items = append(podList.Items, *pod)
 	}
 	data, err := latest.Codec.Encode(podList)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/server_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/server_test.go
index 935cd6df408..32aa644eaae 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/server_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/server_test.go
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ type fakeKubelet struct {
 	containerInfoFunc                  func(podFullName string, uid types.UID, containerName string, req *cadvisorApi.ContainerInfoRequest) (*cadvisorApi.ContainerInfo, error)
 	rootInfoFunc                       func(query *cadvisorApi.ContainerInfoRequest) (*cadvisorApi.ContainerInfo, error)
 	machineInfoFunc                    func() (*cadvisorApi.MachineInfo, error)
-	podsFunc                           func() []api.Pod
+	podsFunc                           func() []*api.Pod
 	logFunc                            func(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request)
 	runFunc                            func(podFullName string, uid types.UID, containerName string, cmd []string) ([]byte, error)
 	dockerVersionFunc                  func() ([]uint, error)
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ func (fk *fakeKubelet) GetCachedMachineInfo() (*cadvisorApi.MachineInfo, error)
 	return fk.machineInfoFunc()
 }
 
-func (fk *fakeKubelet) GetPods() []api.Pod {
+func (fk *fakeKubelet) GetPods() []*api.Pod {
 	return fk.podsFunc()
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/types.go b/pkg/kubelet/types.go
index 5d3aa9cc25f..cb0fdba2b69 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/types.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/types.go
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ const (
 // functionally similar, this helps our unit tests properly check that the correct PodUpdates
 // are generated.
 type PodUpdate struct {
-	Pods   []api.Pod
+	Pods   []*api.Pod
 	Op     PodOperation
 	Source string
 }
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/generic_scheduler.go b/pkg/scheduler/generic_scheduler.go
index 7a2542daa0a..3d55baa5e83 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/generic_scheduler.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/generic_scheduler.go
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import (
 type FailedPredicateMap map[string]util.StringSet
 
 type FitError struct {
-	Pod              api.Pod
+	Pod              *api.Pod
 	FailedPredicates FailedPredicateMap
 }
 
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ type genericScheduler struct {
 	randomLock   sync.Mutex
 }
 
-func (g *genericScheduler) Schedule(pod api.Pod, minionLister MinionLister) (string, error) {
+func (g *genericScheduler) Schedule(pod *api.Pod, minionLister MinionLister) (string, error) {
 	minions, err := minionLister.List()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func (g *genericScheduler) selectHost(priorityList HostPriorityList) (string, er
 
 // Filters the minions to find the ones that fit based on the given predicate functions
 // Each minion is passed through the predicate functions to determine if it is a fit
-func findNodesThatFit(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, predicates map[string]FitPredicate, nodes api.NodeList) (api.NodeList, FailedPredicateMap, error) {
+func findNodesThatFit(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, predicates map[string]FitPredicate, nodes api.NodeList) (api.NodeList, FailedPredicateMap, error) {
 	filtered := []api.Node{}
 	machineToPods, err := MapPodsToMachines(podLister)
 	failedPredicateMap := FailedPredicateMap{}
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ func findNodesThatFit(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, predicates map[string]Fi
 // Each priority function can also have its own weight
 // The minion scores returned by the priority function are multiplied by the weights to get weighted scores
 // All scores are finally combined (added) to get the total weighted scores of all minions
-func prioritizeNodes(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, priorityConfigs []PriorityConfig, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+func prioritizeNodes(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, priorityConfigs []PriorityConfig, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
 	result := HostPriorityList{}
 
 	// If no priority configs are provided, then the EqualPriority function is applied
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ func getBestHosts(list HostPriorityList) []string {
 }
 
 // EqualPriority is a prioritizer function that gives an equal weight of one to all nodes
-func EqualPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+func EqualPriority(_ *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
 	nodes, err := minionLister.List()
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Errorf("failed to list nodes: %v", err)
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/generic_scheduler_test.go b/pkg/scheduler/generic_scheduler_test.go
index b9cfd2f41c6..8b507bccb83 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/generic_scheduler_test.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/generic_scheduler_test.go
@@ -27,19 +27,19 @@ import (
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/util"
 )
 
-func falsePredicate(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func falsePredicate(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	return false, nil
 }
 
-func truePredicate(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func truePredicate(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	return true, nil
 }
 
-func matchesPredicate(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func matchesPredicate(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	return pod.Name == node, nil
 }
 
-func numericPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+func numericPriority(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
 	nodes, err := minionLister.List()
 	result := []HostPriority{}
 
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func numericPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister
 	return result, nil
 }
 
-func reverseNumericPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+func reverseNumericPriority(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
 	var maxScore float64
 	minScore := math.MaxFloat64
 	reverseResult := []HostPriority{}
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ func TestGenericScheduler(t *testing.T) {
 		predicates   map[string]FitPredicate
 		prioritizers []PriorityConfig
 		nodes        []string
-		pod          api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
 		expectedHost string
 		expectsErr   bool
 	}{
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ func TestGenericScheduler(t *testing.T) {
 			predicates:   map[string]FitPredicate{"matches": matchesPredicate},
 			prioritizers: []PriorityConfig{{Function: EqualPriority, Weight: 1}},
 			nodes:        []string{"machine1", "machine2"},
-			pod:          api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "machine2"}},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "machine2"}},
 			expectedHost: "machine2",
 			name:         "test 3",
 		},
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ func TestGenericScheduler(t *testing.T) {
 			predicates:   map[string]FitPredicate{"matches": matchesPredicate},
 			prioritizers: []PriorityConfig{{Function: numericPriority, Weight: 1}},
 			nodes:        []string{"3", "2", "1"},
-			pod:          api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "2"}},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "2"}},
 			expectedHost: "2",
 			name:         "test 5",
 		},
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ func TestGenericScheduler(t *testing.T) {
 			predicates:   map[string]FitPredicate{"true": truePredicate},
 			prioritizers: []PriorityConfig{{Function: numericPriority, Weight: 1}, {Function: reverseNumericPriority, Weight: 2}},
 			nodes:        []string{"3", "2", "1"},
-			pod:          api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "2"}},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "2"}},
 			expectedHost: "1",
 			name:         "test 6",
 		},
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func TestGenericScheduler(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		random := rand.New(rand.NewSource(0))
-		scheduler := NewGenericScheduler(test.predicates, test.prioritizers, FakePodLister([]api.Pod{}), random)
+		scheduler := NewGenericScheduler(test.predicates, test.prioritizers, FakePodLister([]*api.Pod{}), random)
 		machine, err := scheduler.Schedule(test.pod, FakeMinionLister(makeNodeList(test.nodes)))
 		if test.expectsErr {
 			if err == nil {
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ func TestGenericScheduler(t *testing.T) {
 func TestFindFitAllError(t *testing.T) {
 	nodes := []string{"3", "2", "1"}
 	predicates := map[string]FitPredicate{"true": truePredicate, "false": falsePredicate}
-	_, predicateMap, err := findNodesThatFit(api.Pod{}, FakePodLister([]api.Pod{}), predicates, makeNodeList(nodes))
+	_, predicateMap, err := findNodesThatFit(&api.Pod{}, FakePodLister([]*api.Pod{}), predicates, makeNodeList(nodes))
 
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
@@ -271,8 +271,8 @@ func TestFindFitAllError(t *testing.T) {
 func TestFindFitSomeError(t *testing.T) {
 	nodes := []string{"3", "2", "1"}
 	predicates := map[string]FitPredicate{"true": truePredicate, "match": matchesPredicate}
-	pod := api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "1"}}
-	_, predicateMap, err := findNodesThatFit(pod, FakePodLister([]api.Pod{}), predicates, makeNodeList(nodes))
+	pod := &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "1"}}
+	_, predicateMap, err := findNodesThatFit(pod, FakePodLister([]*api.Pod{}), predicates, makeNodeList(nodes))
 
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/listers.go b/pkg/scheduler/listers.go
index 10d887c9417..73e5b58c37e 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/listers.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/listers.go
@@ -39,14 +39,14 @@ func (f FakeMinionLister) List() (api.NodeList, error) {
 // PodLister interface represents anything that can list pods for a scheduler.
 type PodLister interface {
 	// TODO: make this exactly the same as client's Pods(ns).List() method, by returning a api.PodList
-	List(labels.Selector) ([]api.Pod, error)
+	List(labels.Selector) ([]*api.Pod, error)
 }
 
 // FakePodLister implements PodLister on an []api.Pods for test purposes.
-type FakePodLister []api.Pod
+type FakePodLister []*api.Pod
 
 // List returns []api.Pod matching a query.
-func (f FakePodLister) List(s labels.Selector) (selected []api.Pod, err error) {
+func (f FakePodLister) List(s labels.Selector) (selected []*api.Pod, err error) {
 	for _, pod := range f {
 		if s.Matches(labels.Set(pod.Labels)) {
 			selected = append(selected, pod)
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ type ServiceLister interface {
 	// Lists all the services
 	List() (api.ServiceList, error)
 	// Gets the services for the given pod
-	GetPodServices(api.Pod) ([]api.Service, error)
+	GetPodServices(*api.Pod) ([]api.Service, error)
 }
 
 // FakeServiceLister implements ServiceLister on []api.Service for test purposes.
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ func (f FakeServiceLister) List() (api.ServiceList, error) {
 }
 
 // GetPodServices gets the services that have the selector that match the labels on the given pod
-func (f FakeServiceLister) GetPodServices(pod api.Pod) (services []api.Service, err error) {
+func (f FakeServiceLister) GetPodServices(pod *api.Pod) (services []api.Service, err error) {
 	var selector labels.Selector
 
 	for _, service := range f {
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/predicates.go b/pkg/scheduler/predicates.go
index b8a8e043b3a..c20f3c6969b 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/predicates.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/predicates.go
@@ -80,11 +80,11 @@ func isVolumeConflict(volume api.Volume, pod *api.Pod) bool {
 // are exclusive so if there is already a volume mounted on that node, another pod can't schedule
 // there. This is GCE specific for now.
 // TODO: migrate this into some per-volume specific code?
-func NoDiskConflict(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func NoDiskConflict(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	manifest := &(pod.Spec)
 	for ix := range manifest.Volumes {
 		for podIx := range existingPods {
-			if isVolumeConflict(manifest.Volumes[ix], &existingPods[podIx]) {
+			if isVolumeConflict(manifest.Volumes[ix], existingPods[podIx]) {
 				return false, nil
 			}
 		}
@@ -111,31 +111,31 @@ func getResourceRequest(pod *api.Pod) resourceRequest {
 	return result
 }
 
-func CheckPodsExceedingCapacity(pods []api.Pod, capacity api.ResourceList) (fitting []api.Pod, notFitting []api.Pod) {
+func CheckPodsExceedingCapacity(pods []*api.Pod, capacity api.ResourceList) (fitting []*api.Pod, notFitting []*api.Pod) {
 	totalMilliCPU := capacity.Cpu().MilliValue()
 	totalMemory := capacity.Memory().Value()
 	milliCPURequested := int64(0)
 	memoryRequested := int64(0)
-	for ix := range pods {
-		podRequest := getResourceRequest(&pods[ix])
+	for _, pod := range pods {
+		podRequest := getResourceRequest(pod)
 		fitsCPU := totalMilliCPU == 0 || (totalMilliCPU-milliCPURequested) >= podRequest.milliCPU
 		fitsMemory := totalMemory == 0 || (totalMemory-memoryRequested) >= podRequest.memory
 		if !fitsCPU || !fitsMemory {
 			// the pod doesn't fit
-			notFitting = append(notFitting, pods[ix])
+			notFitting = append(notFitting, pod)
 			continue
 		}
 		// the pod fits
 		milliCPURequested += podRequest.milliCPU
 		memoryRequested += podRequest.memory
-		fitting = append(fitting, pods[ix])
+		fitting = append(fitting, pod)
 	}
 	return
 }
 
 // PodFitsResources calculates fit based on requested, rather than used resources
-func (r *ResourceFit) PodFitsResources(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
-	podRequest := getResourceRequest(&pod)
+func (r *ResourceFit) PodFitsResources(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+	podRequest := getResourceRequest(pod)
 	if podRequest.milliCPU == 0 && podRequest.memory == 0 {
 		// no resources requested always fits.
 		return true, nil
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ func (r *ResourceFit) PodFitsResources(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
-	pods := []api.Pod{}
+	pods := []*api.Pod{}
 	copy(pods, existingPods)
 	pods = append(existingPods, pod)
 	_, exceeding := CheckPodsExceedingCapacity(pods, info.Status.Capacity)
@@ -180,15 +180,15 @@ type NodeSelector struct {
 	info NodeInfo
 }
 
-func (n *NodeSelector) PodSelectorMatches(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func (n *NodeSelector) PodSelectorMatches(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	minion, err := n.info.GetNodeInfo(node)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
-	return PodMatchesNodeLabels(&pod, minion), nil
+	return PodMatchesNodeLabels(pod, minion), nil
 }
 
-func PodFitsHost(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func PodFitsHost(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	if len(pod.Spec.Host) == 0 {
 		return true, nil
 	}
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ func NewNodeLabelPredicate(info NodeInfo, labels []string, presence bool) FitPre
 // Alternately, eliminating minions that have a certain label, regardless of value, is also useful
 // A minion may have a label with "retiring" as key and the date as the value
 // and it may be desirable to avoid scheduling new pods on this minion
-func (n *NodeLabelChecker) CheckNodeLabelPresence(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func (n *NodeLabelChecker) CheckNodeLabelPresence(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	var exists bool
 	minion, err := n.info.GetNodeInfo(node)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ func NewServiceAffinityPredicate(podLister PodLister, serviceLister ServiceListe
 // - L is listed in the ServiceAffinity object that is passed into the function
 // - the pod does not have any NodeSelector for L
 // - some other pod from the same service is already scheduled onto a minion that has value V for label L
-func (s *ServiceAffinity) CheckServiceAffinity(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func (s *ServiceAffinity) CheckServiceAffinity(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	var affinitySelector labels.Selector
 
 	// check if the pod being scheduled has the affinity labels specified in its NodeSelector
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ func (s *ServiceAffinity) CheckServiceAffinity(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.P
 				return false, err
 			}
 			// consider only the pods that belong to the same namespace
-			nsServicePods := []api.Pod{}
+			nsServicePods := []*api.Pod{}
 			for _, nsPod := range servicePods {
 				if nsPod.Namespace == pod.Namespace {
 					nsServicePods = append(nsServicePods, nsPod)
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ func (s *ServiceAffinity) CheckServiceAffinity(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.P
 	return affinitySelector.Matches(labels.Set(minion.Labels)), nil
 }
 
-func PodFitsPorts(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func PodFitsPorts(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	existingPorts := getUsedPorts(existingPods...)
 	wantPorts := getUsedPorts(pod)
 	for wport := range wantPorts {
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ func PodFitsPorts(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error
 	return true, nil
 }
 
-func getUsedPorts(pods ...api.Pod) map[int]bool {
+func getUsedPorts(pods ...*api.Pod) map[int]bool {
 	ports := make(map[int]bool)
 	for _, pod := range pods {
 		for _, container := range pod.Spec.Containers {
@@ -361,12 +361,12 @@ func getUsedPorts(pods ...api.Pod) map[int]bool {
 
 // MapPodsToMachines obtains a list of pods and pivots that list into a map where the keys are host names
 // and the values are the list of pods running on that host.
-func MapPodsToMachines(lister PodLister) (map[string][]api.Pod, error) {
-	machineToPods := map[string][]api.Pod{}
+func MapPodsToMachines(lister PodLister) (map[string][]*api.Pod, error) {
+	machineToPods := map[string][]*api.Pod{}
 	// TODO: perform more targeted query...
 	pods, err := lister.List(labels.Everything())
 	if err != nil {
-		return map[string][]api.Pod{}, err
+		return map[string][]*api.Pod{}, err
 	}
 	for _, scheduledPod := range pods {
 		host := scheduledPod.Spec.Host
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/predicates_test.go b/pkg/scheduler/predicates_test.go
index e8833c28c5d..56a135b7dd3 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/predicates_test.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/predicates_test.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func makeResources(milliCPU int64, memory int64) api.NodeResources {
 	}
 }
 
-func newResourcePod(usage ...resourceRequest) api.Pod {
+func newResourcePod(usage ...resourceRequest) *api.Pod {
 	containers := []api.Container{}
 	for _, req := range usage {
 		containers = append(containers, api.Container{
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func newResourcePod(usage ...resourceRequest) api.Pod {
 			},
 		})
 	}
-	return api.Pod{
+	return &api.Pod{
 		Spec: api.PodSpec{
 			Containers: containers,
 		},
@@ -73,14 +73,14 @@ func newResourcePod(usage ...resourceRequest) api.Pod {
 
 func TestPodFitsResources(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		existingPods []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		existingPods []*api.Pod
 		fits         bool
 		test         string
 	}{
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{},
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{},
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 10, memory: 20}),
 			},
 			fits: true,
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ func TestPodFitsResources(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			pod: newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 1, memory: 1}),
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 10, memory: 20}),
 			},
 			fits: false,
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ func TestPodFitsResources(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			pod: newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 1, memory: 1}),
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 5, memory: 5}),
 			},
 			fits: true,
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ func TestPodFitsResources(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			pod: newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 1, memory: 2}),
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 5, memory: 19}),
 			},
 			fits: false,
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ func TestPodFitsResources(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			pod: newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 5, memory: 1}),
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newResourcePod(resourceRequest{milliCPU: 5, memory: 19}),
 			},
 			fits: true,
@@ -135,19 +135,19 @@ func TestPodFitsResources(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPodFitsHost(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod  api.Pod
+		pod  *api.Pod
 		node string
 		fits bool
 		test string
 	}{
 		{
-			pod:  api.Pod{},
+			pod:  &api.Pod{},
 			node: "foo",
 			fits: true,
 			test: "no host specified",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{
 				Spec: api.PodSpec{
 					Host: "foo",
 				},
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ func TestPodFitsHost(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "host matches",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{
 				Spec: api.PodSpec{
 					Host: "bar",
 				},
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ func TestPodFitsHost(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
-		result, err := PodFitsHost(test.pod, []api.Pod{}, test.node)
+		result, err := PodFitsHost(test.pod, []*api.Pod{}, test.node)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -181,20 +181,20 @@ func TestPodFitsHost(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPodFitsPorts(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		existingPods []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		existingPods []*api.Pod
 		fits         bool
 		test         string
 	}{
 		{
-			pod:          api.Pod{},
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{},
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{},
 			fits:         true,
 			test:         "nothing running",
 		},
 		{
 			pod: newPod("m1", 8080),
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newPod("m1", 9090),
 			},
 			fits: true,
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ func TestPodFitsPorts(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			pod: newPod("m1", 8080),
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newPod("m1", 8080),
 			},
 			fits: false,
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ func TestPodFitsPorts(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			pod: newPod("m1", 8000, 8080),
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newPod("m1", 8080),
 			},
 			fits: false,
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ func TestPodFitsPorts(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			pod: newPod("m1", 8000, 8080),
-			existingPods: []api.Pod{
+			existingPods: []*api.Pod{
 				newPod("m1", 8001, 8080),
 			},
 			fits: false,
@@ -238,25 +238,25 @@ func TestPodFitsPorts(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestGetUsedPorts(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		pods []api.Pod
+		pods []*api.Pod
 
 		ports map[int]bool
 	}{
 		{
-			[]api.Pod{
+			[]*api.Pod{
 				newPod("m1", 9090),
 			},
 			map[int]bool{9090: true},
 		},
 		{
-			[]api.Pod{
+			[]*api.Pod{
 				newPod("m1", 9090),
 				newPod("m1", 9091),
 			},
 			map[int]bool{9090: true, 9091: true},
 		},
 		{
-			[]api.Pod{
+			[]*api.Pod{
 				newPod("m1", 9090),
 				newPod("m2", 9091),
 			},
@@ -296,15 +296,15 @@ func TestDiskConflicts(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		existingPods []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		existingPods []*api.Pod
 		isOk         bool
 		test         string
 	}{
-		{api.Pod{}, []api.Pod{}, true, "nothing"},
-		{api.Pod{}, []api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, true, "one state"},
-		{api.Pod{Spec: volState}, []api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, false, "same state"},
-		{api.Pod{Spec: volState2}, []api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, true, "different state"},
+		{&api.Pod{}, []*api.Pod{}, true, "nothing"},
+		{&api.Pod{}, []*api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, true, "one state"},
+		{&api.Pod{Spec: volState}, []*api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, false, "same state"},
+		{&api.Pod{Spec: volState2}, []*api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, true, "different state"},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
@@ -345,15 +345,15 @@ func TestAWSDiskConflicts(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		existingPods []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		existingPods []*api.Pod
 		isOk         bool
 		test         string
 	}{
-		{api.Pod{}, []api.Pod{}, true, "nothing"},
-		{api.Pod{}, []api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, true, "one state"},
-		{api.Pod{Spec: volState}, []api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, false, "same state"},
-		{api.Pod{Spec: volState2}, []api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, true, "different state"},
+		{&api.Pod{}, []*api.Pod{}, true, "nothing"},
+		{&api.Pod{}, []*api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, true, "one state"},
+		{&api.Pod{Spec: volState}, []*api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, false, "same state"},
+		{&api.Pod{Spec: volState2}, []*api.Pod{{Spec: volState}}, true, "different state"},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
@@ -372,18 +372,18 @@ func TestAWSDiskConflicts(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPodFitsSelector(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod    api.Pod
+		pod    *api.Pod
 		labels map[string]string
 		fits   bool
 		test   string
 	}{
 		{
-			pod:  api.Pod{},
+			pod:  &api.Pod{},
 			fits: true,
 			test: "no selector",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{
 				Spec: api.PodSpec{
 					NodeSelector: map[string]string{
 						"foo": "bar",
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ func TestPodFitsSelector(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "missing labels",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{
 				Spec: api.PodSpec{
 					NodeSelector: map[string]string{
 						"foo": "bar",
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ func TestPodFitsSelector(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "same labels",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{
 				Spec: api.PodSpec{
 					NodeSelector: map[string]string{
 						"foo": "bar",
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ func TestPodFitsSelector(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "node labels are superset",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{
 				Spec: api.PodSpec{
 					NodeSelector: map[string]string{
 						"foo": "bar",
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ func TestPodFitsSelector(t *testing.T) {
 		node := api.Node{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: test.labels}}
 
 		fit := NodeSelector{FakeNodeInfo(node)}
-		fits, err := fit.PodSelectorMatches(test.pod, []api.Pod{}, "machine")
+		fits, err := fit.PodSelectorMatches(test.pod, []*api.Pod{}, "machine")
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -455,8 +455,8 @@ func TestPodFitsSelector(t *testing.T) {
 func TestNodeLabelPresence(t *testing.T) {
 	label := map[string]string{"foo": "bar", "bar": "foo"}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		existingPods []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		existingPods []*api.Pod
 		labels       []string
 		presence     bool
 		fits         bool
@@ -536,8 +536,8 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 	node4 := api.Node{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "machine4", Labels: labels4}}
 	node5 := api.Node{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Name: "machine5", Labels: labels4}}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod      api.Pod
-		pods     []api.Pod
+		pod      *api.Pod
+		pods     []*api.Pod
 		services []api.Service
 		node     string
 		labels   []string
@@ -545,28 +545,29 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 		test     string
 	}{
 		{
+			pod:    new(api.Pod),
 			node:   "machine1",
 			fits:   true,
 			labels: []string{"region"},
 			test:   "nothing scheduled",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:    api.Pod{Spec: api.PodSpec{NodeSelector: map[string]string{"region": "r1"}}},
+			pod:    &api.Pod{Spec: api.PodSpec{NodeSelector: map[string]string{"region": "r1"}}},
 			node:   "machine1",
 			fits:   true,
 			labels: []string{"region"},
 			test:   "pod with region label match",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:    api.Pod{Spec: api.PodSpec{NodeSelector: map[string]string{"region": "r2"}}},
+			pod:    &api.Pod{Spec: api.PodSpec{NodeSelector: map[string]string{"region": "r2"}}},
 			node:   "machine1",
 			fits:   false,
 			labels: []string{"region"},
 			test:   "pod with region label mismatch",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine1"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine1"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
 			node:     "machine1",
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: selector}}},
 			fits:     true,
@@ -574,8 +575,8 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 			test:     "service pod on same minion",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine2"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine2"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
 			node:     "machine1",
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: selector}}},
 			fits:     true,
@@ -583,8 +584,8 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 			test:     "service pod on different minion, region match",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine3"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine3"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
 			node:     "machine1",
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: selector}}},
 			fits:     false,
@@ -592,8 +593,8 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 			test:     "service pod on different minion, region mismatch",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine3"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine3"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}}},
 			node:     "machine1",
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: selector}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Namespace: "ns2"}}},
 			fits:     true,
@@ -601,8 +602,8 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 			test:     "service in different namespace, region mismatch",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine3"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns2"}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine3"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns2"}}},
 			node:     "machine1",
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: selector}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Namespace: "ns1"}}},
 			fits:     true,
@@ -610,8 +611,8 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 			test:     "pod in different namespace, region mismatch",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine3"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine3"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector, Namespace: "ns1"}}},
 			node:     "machine1",
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: selector}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Namespace: "ns1"}}},
 			fits:     false,
@@ -619,8 +620,8 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 			test:     "service and pod in same namespace, region mismatch",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine2"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine2"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
 			node:     "machine1",
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: selector}}},
 			fits:     false,
@@ -628,8 +629,8 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 			test:     "service pod on different minion, multiple labels, not all match",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine5"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: api.PodSpec{Host: "machine5"}, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: selector}}},
 			node:     "machine4",
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: selector}}},
 			fits:     true,
@@ -641,7 +642,7 @@ func TestServiceAffinity(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		nodes := []api.Node{node1, node2, node3, node4, node5}
 		serviceAffinity := ServiceAffinity{FakePodLister(test.pods), FakeServiceLister(test.services), FakeNodeListInfo(nodes), test.labels}
-		fits, err := serviceAffinity.CheckServiceAffinity(test.pod, []api.Pod{}, test.node)
+		fits, err := serviceAffinity.CheckServiceAffinity(test.pod, []*api.Pod{}, test.node)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/priorities.go b/pkg/scheduler/priorities.go
index 2d5d3dac3ac..16c2214aa64 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/priorities.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/priorities.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ func calculateScore(requested, capacity int64, node string) int {
 
 // Calculate the occupancy on a node.  'node' has information about the resources on the node.
 // 'pods' is a list of pods currently scheduled on the node.
-func calculateOccupancy(pod api.Pod, node api.Node, pods []api.Pod) HostPriority {
+func calculateOccupancy(pod *api.Pod, node api.Node, pods []*api.Pod) HostPriority {
 	totalMilliCPU := int64(0)
 	totalMemory := int64(0)
 	for _, existingPod := range pods {
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func calculateOccupancy(pod api.Pod, node api.Node, pods []api.Pod) HostPriority
 // It calculates the percentage of memory and CPU requested by pods scheduled on the node, and prioritizes
 // based on the minimum of the average of the fraction of requested to capacity.
 // Details: (Sum(requested cpu) / Capacity + Sum(requested memory) / Capacity) * 50
-func LeastRequestedPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+func LeastRequestedPriority(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
 	nodes, err := minionLister.List()
 	if err != nil {
 		return HostPriorityList{}, err
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ func NewNodeLabelPriority(label string, presence bool) PriorityFunction {
 // CalculateNodeLabelPriority checks whether a particular label exists on a minion or not, regardless of its value.
 // If presence is true, prioritizes minions that have the specified label, regardless of value.
 // If presence is false, prioritizes minions that do not have the specified label.
-func (n *NodeLabelPrioritizer) CalculateNodeLabelPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+func (n *NodeLabelPrioritizer) CalculateNodeLabelPriority(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
 	var score int
 	minions, err := minionLister.List()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ func (n *NodeLabelPrioritizer) CalculateNodeLabelPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister
 // close the two metrics are to each other.
 // Detail: score = 10 - abs(cpuFraction-memoryFraction)*10. The algorithm is partly inspired by:
 // "Wei Huang et al. An Energy Efficient Virtual Machine Placement Algorithm with Balanced Resource Utilization"
-func BalancedResourceAllocation(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+func BalancedResourceAllocation(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
 	nodes, err := minionLister.List()
 	if err != nil {
 		return HostPriorityList{}, err
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ func BalancedResourceAllocation(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister M
 	return list, nil
 }
 
-func calculateBalancedResourceAllocation(pod api.Pod, node api.Node, pods []api.Pod) HostPriority {
+func calculateBalancedResourceAllocation(pod *api.Pod, node api.Node, pods []*api.Pod) HostPriority {
 	totalMilliCPU := int64(0)
 	totalMemory := int64(0)
 	score := int(0)
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/priorities_test.go b/pkg/scheduler/priorities_test.go
index 88c5aa31f41..5cddfc05730 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/priorities_test.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/priorities_test.go
@@ -98,8 +98,8 @@ func TestLeastRequested(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		pods         []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		pods         []*api.Pod
 		nodes        []api.Node
 		expectedList HostPriorityList
 		test         string
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func TestLeastRequested(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Score: ((10000 - 0) *10) / 10000 = 10
 				Minion2 Score: (10 + 10) / 2 = 10
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 4000, 10000), makeMinion("machine2", 4000, 10000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 10}, {"machine2", 10}},
 			test:         "nothing scheduled, nothing requested",
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ func TestLeastRequested(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Score: ((10000 - 5000) *10) / 10000 = 5
 				Minion2 Score: (5 + 5) / 2 = 5
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 4000, 10000), makeMinion("machine2", 6000, 10000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 3}, {"machine2", 5}},
 			test:         "nothing scheduled, resources requested, differently sized machines",
@@ -150,11 +150,11 @@ func TestLeastRequested(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Score: ((10000 - 0) *10) / 10000 = 10
 				Minion2 Score: (10 + 10) / 2 = 10
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 4000, 10000), makeMinion("machine2", 4000, 10000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 10}, {"machine2", 10}},
 			test:         "no resources requested, pods scheduled",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: machine1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: machine1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: machine2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -173,11 +173,11 @@ func TestLeastRequested(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Score: ((20000 - 5000) *10) / 20000 = 7.5
 				Minion2 Score: (4 + 7.5) / 2 = 5
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 10000, 20000), makeMinion("machine2", 10000, 20000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 7}, {"machine2", 5}},
 			test:         "no resources requested, pods scheduled with resources",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: cpuOnly, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: cpuOnly2, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -196,11 +196,11 @@ func TestLeastRequested(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Score: ((20000 - 10000) *10) / 20000 = 5
 				Minion2 Score: (4 + 5) / 2 = 4
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 10000, 20000), makeMinion("machine2", 10000, 20000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 5}, {"machine2", 4}},
 			test:         "resources requested, pods scheduled with resources",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly},
 				{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			},
@@ -217,11 +217,11 @@ func TestLeastRequested(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Score: ((50000 - 10000) *10) / 50000 = 8
 				Minion2 Score: (4 + 8) / 2 = 6
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 10000, 20000), makeMinion("machine2", 10000, 50000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 5}, {"machine2", 6}},
 			test:         "resources requested, pods scheduled with resources, differently sized machines",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly},
 				{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			},
@@ -238,21 +238,21 @@ func TestLeastRequested(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Score: ((10000 - 5000) *10) / 10000 = 5
 				Minion2 Score: (0 + 5) / 2 = 2
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: cpuOnly},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: cpuOnly},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 4000, 10000), makeMinion("machine2", 4000, 10000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 5}, {"machine2", 2}},
 			test:         "requested resources exceed minion capacity",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly},
 				{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 0, 0), makeMinion("machine2", 0, 0)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 0}, {"machine2", 0}},
 			test:         "zero minion resources, pods scheduled with resources",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly},
 				{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			},
@@ -275,8 +275,6 @@ func TestNewNodeLabelPriority(t *testing.T) {
 	label2 := map[string]string{"bar": "foo"}
 	label3 := map[string]string{"bar": "baz"}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		pods         []api.Pod
 		nodes        []api.Node
 		label        string
 		presence     bool
@@ -356,7 +354,7 @@ func TestNewNodeLabelPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			label:    test.label,
 			presence: test.presence,
 		}
-		list, err := prioritizer.CalculateNodeLabelPriority(test.pod, FakePodLister(test.pods), FakeMinionLister(api.NodeList{Items: test.nodes}))
+		list, err := prioritizer.CalculateNodeLabelPriority(nil, nil, FakeMinionLister(api.NodeList{Items: test.nodes}))
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -430,8 +428,8 @@ func TestBalancedResourceAllocation(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		pods         []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		pods         []*api.Pod
 		nodes        []api.Node
 		expectedList HostPriorityList
 		test         string
@@ -448,7 +446,7 @@ func TestBalancedResourceAllocation(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Fraction: 0 / 10000 = 0%
 				Minion2 Score: 10 - (0-0)*10 = 10
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 4000, 10000), makeMinion("machine2", 4000, 10000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 10}, {"machine2", 10}},
 			test:         "nothing scheduled, nothing requested",
@@ -465,7 +463,7 @@ func TestBalancedResourceAllocation(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Fraction: 5000/10000 = 50%
 				Minion2 Score: 10 - (0.5-0.5)*10 = 10
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 4000, 10000), makeMinion("machine2", 6000, 10000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 7}, {"machine2", 10}},
 			test:         "nothing scheduled, resources requested, differently sized machines",
@@ -482,11 +480,11 @@ func TestBalancedResourceAllocation(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Fraction: 0 / 10000 = 0%
 				Minion2 Score: 10 - (0-0)*10 = 10
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 4000, 10000), makeMinion("machine2", 4000, 10000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 10}, {"machine2", 10}},
 			test:         "no resources requested, pods scheduled",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: machine1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: machine1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: machine2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -505,11 +503,11 @@ func TestBalancedResourceAllocation(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Fraction: 5000 / 20000 = 25%
 				Minion2 Score: 10 - (0.6-0.25)*10 = 6
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 10000, 20000), makeMinion("machine2", 10000, 20000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 4}, {"machine2", 6}},
 			test:         "no resources requested, pods scheduled with resources",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: cpuOnly, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: cpuOnly2, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -528,11 +526,11 @@ func TestBalancedResourceAllocation(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Fraction: 10000 / 20000 = 50%
 				Minion2 Score: 10 - (0.6-0.5)*10 = 9
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 10000, 20000), makeMinion("machine2", 10000, 20000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 6}, {"machine2", 9}},
 			test:         "resources requested, pods scheduled with resources",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly},
 				{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			},
@@ -549,11 +547,11 @@ func TestBalancedResourceAllocation(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Fraction: 10000 / 50000 = 20%
 				Minion2 Score: 10 - (0.6-0.2)*10 = 6
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 10000, 20000), makeMinion("machine2", 10000, 50000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 6}, {"machine2", 6}},
 			test:         "resources requested, pods scheduled with resources, differently sized machines",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly},
 				{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			},
@@ -570,21 +568,21 @@ func TestBalancedResourceAllocation(t *testing.T) {
 				Memory Fraction 5000 / 10000 = 50%
 				Minion2 Score: 0
 			*/
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: cpuOnly},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: cpuOnly},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 4000, 10000), makeMinion("machine2", 4000, 10000)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 0}, {"machine2", 0}},
 			test:         "requested resources exceed minion capacity",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly},
 				{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			pod:          api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{Spec: noResources},
 			nodes:        []api.Node{makeMinion("machine1", 0, 0), makeMinion("machine2", 0, 0)},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 0}, {"machine2", 0}},
 			test:         "zero minion resources, pods scheduled with resources",
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: cpuOnly},
 				{Spec: cpuAndMemory},
 			},
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/scheduler.go b/pkg/scheduler/scheduler.go
index 34e645fbe81..8aea816d788 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/scheduler.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/scheduler.go
@@ -23,5 +23,5 @@ import (
 // Scheduler is an interface implemented by things that know how to schedule pods
 // onto machines.
 type Scheduler interface {
-	Schedule(api.Pod, MinionLister) (selectedMachine string, err error)
+	Schedule(*api.Pod, MinionLister) (selectedMachine string, err error)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/scheduler_test.go b/pkg/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
index c4285664487..72d37a8ce68 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type schedulerTester struct {
 }
 
 // Call if you know exactly where pod should get scheduled.
-func (st *schedulerTester) expectSchedule(pod api.Pod, expected string) {
+func (st *schedulerTester) expectSchedule(pod *api.Pod, expected string) {
 	actual, err := st.scheduler.Schedule(pod, st.minionLister)
 	if err != nil {
 		st.t.Errorf("Unexpected error %v\nTried to scheduler: %#v", err, pod)
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ func (st *schedulerTester) expectSchedule(pod api.Pod, expected string) {
 }
 
 // Call if you can't predict where pod will be scheduled.
-func (st *schedulerTester) expectSuccess(pod api.Pod) {
+func (st *schedulerTester) expectSuccess(pod *api.Pod) {
 	_, err := st.scheduler.Schedule(pod, st.minionLister)
 	if err != nil {
 		st.t.Errorf("Unexpected error %v\nTried to scheduler: %#v", err, pod)
@@ -52,19 +52,19 @@ func (st *schedulerTester) expectSuccess(pod api.Pod) {
 }
 
 // Call if pod should *not* schedule.
-func (st *schedulerTester) expectFailure(pod api.Pod) {
+func (st *schedulerTester) expectFailure(pod *api.Pod) {
 	_, err := st.scheduler.Schedule(pod, st.minionLister)
 	if err == nil {
 		st.t.Error("Unexpected non-error")
 	}
 }
 
-func newPod(host string, hostPorts ...int) api.Pod {
+func newPod(host string, hostPorts ...int) *api.Pod {
 	networkPorts := []api.ContainerPort{}
 	for _, port := range hostPorts {
 		networkPorts = append(networkPorts, api.ContainerPort{HostPort: port})
 	}
-	return api.Pod{
+	return &api.Pod{
 		Spec: api.PodSpec{
 			Host: host,
 			Containers: []api.Container{
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/spreading.go b/pkg/scheduler/spreading.go
index 43322703504..711cb7387df 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/spreading.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/spreading.go
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ func NewServiceSpreadPriority(serviceLister ServiceLister) PriorityFunction {
 
 // CalculateSpreadPriority spreads pods by minimizing the number of pods belonging to the same service
 // on the same machine.
-func (s *ServiceSpread) CalculateSpreadPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+func (s *ServiceSpread) CalculateSpreadPriority(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
 	var maxCount int
-	var nsServicePods []api.Pod
+	var nsServicePods []*api.Pod
 
 	services, err := s.serviceLister.GetPodServices(pod)
 	if err == nil {
@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ func NewServiceAntiAffinityPriority(serviceLister ServiceLister, label string) P
 // CalculateAntiAffinityPriority spreads pods by minimizing the number of pods belonging to the same service
 // on machines with the same value for a particular label.
 // The label to be considered is provided to the struct (ServiceAntiAffinity).
-func (s *ServiceAntiAffinity) CalculateAntiAffinityPriority(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
-	var nsServicePods []api.Pod
+func (s *ServiceAntiAffinity) CalculateAntiAffinityPriority(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error) {
+	var nsServicePods []*api.Pod
 
 	services, err := s.serviceLister.GetPodServices(pod)
 	if err == nil {
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/spreading_test.go b/pkg/scheduler/spreading_test.go
index 00bb7c5b5b6..921fed0248c 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/spreading_test.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/spreading_test.go
@@ -40,36 +40,37 @@ func TestServiceSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 		Host: "machine2",
 	}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		pods         []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		pods         []*api.Pod
 		nodes        []string
 		services     []api.Service
 		expectedList HostPriorityList
 		test         string
 	}{
 		{
+			pod:          new(api.Pod),
 			nodes:        []string{"machine1", "machine2"},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 10}, {"machine2", 10}},
 			test:         "nothing scheduled",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:          api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods:         []api.Pod{{Spec: zone1Spec}},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods:         []*api.Pod{{Spec: zone1Spec}},
 			nodes:        []string{"machine1", "machine2"},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 10}, {"machine2", 10}},
 			test:         "no services",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:          api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods:         []api.Pod{{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}}},
+			pod:          &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods:         []*api.Pod{{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}}},
 			nodes:        []string{"machine1", "machine2"},
 			services:     []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: map[string]string{"key": "value"}}}},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine1", 10}, {"machine2", 10}},
 			test:         "different services",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 			},
@@ -79,8 +80,8 @@ func TestServiceSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test:         "two pods, one service pod",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: api.NamespaceDefault}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: "ns1"}},
@@ -93,8 +94,8 @@ func TestServiceSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test:         "five pods, one service pod in no namespace",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: api.NamespaceDefault}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: api.NamespaceDefault}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: "ns1"}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: api.NamespaceDefault}},
@@ -106,8 +107,8 @@ func TestServiceSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test:         "four pods, one service pod in default namespace",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: "ns1"}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: "ns1"}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: api.NamespaceDefault}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: "ns2"}},
@@ -120,8 +121,8 @@ func TestServiceSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test:         "five pods, one service pod in specific namespace",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -132,8 +133,8 @@ func TestServiceSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test:         "three pods, two service pods on different machines",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -145,8 +146,8 @@ func TestServiceSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test:         "four pods, three service pods",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -203,14 +204,15 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 		"machine21": zone2, "machine22": zone2,
 	}
 	tests := []struct {
-		pod          api.Pod
-		pods         []api.Pod
+		pod          *api.Pod
+		pods         []*api.Pod
 		nodes        map[string]map[string]string
 		services     []api.Service
 		expectedList HostPriorityList
 		test         string
 	}{
 		{
+			pod:   new(api.Pod),
 			nodes: labeledNodes,
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine11", 10}, {"machine12", 10},
 				{"machine21", 10}, {"machine22", 10},
@@ -218,8 +220,8 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "nothing scheduled",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:   api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods:  []api.Pod{{Spec: zone1Spec}},
+			pod:   &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods:  []*api.Pod{{Spec: zone1Spec}},
 			nodes: labeledNodes,
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine11", 10}, {"machine12", 10},
 				{"machine21", 10}, {"machine22", 10},
@@ -227,8 +229,8 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "no services",
 		},
 		{
-			pod:      api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods:     []api.Pod{{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}}},
+			pod:      &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods:     []*api.Pod{{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}}},
 			nodes:    labeledNodes,
 			services: []api.Service{{Spec: api.ServiceSpec{Selector: map[string]string{"key": "value"}}}},
 			expectedList: []HostPriority{{"machine11", 10}, {"machine12", 10},
@@ -237,8 +239,8 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "different services",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone0Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -251,8 +253,8 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "three pods, one service pod",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -265,8 +267,8 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "three pods, two service pods on different machines",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: api.NamespaceDefault}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: api.NamespaceDefault}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1, Namespace: api.NamespaceDefault}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -280,8 +282,8 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "three service label match pods in different namespaces",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -295,8 +297,8 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "four pods, three service pods",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels2}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
@@ -309,8 +311,8 @@ func TestZoneSpreadPriority(t *testing.T) {
 			test: "service with partial pod label matches",
 		},
 		{
-			pod: api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
-			pods: []api.Pod{
+			pod: &api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
+			pods: []*api.Pod{
 				{Spec: zone0Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone1Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
 				{Spec: zone2Spec, ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{Labels: labels1}},
diff --git a/pkg/scheduler/types.go b/pkg/scheduler/types.go
index 471529b491d..c2481a73346 100644
--- a/pkg/scheduler/types.go
+++ b/pkg/scheduler/types.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 // FitPredicate is a function that indicates if a pod fits into an existing node.
-type FitPredicate func(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error)
+type FitPredicate func(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error)
 
 // HostPriority represents the priority of scheduling to a particular host, lower priority is better.
 type HostPriority struct {
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ func (h HostPriorityList) Swap(i, j int) {
 	h[i], h[j] = h[j], h[i]
 }
 
-type PriorityFunction func(pod api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error)
+type PriorityFunction func(pod *api.Pod, podLister PodLister, minionLister MinionLister) (HostPriorityList, error)
 
 type PriorityConfig struct {
 	Function PriorityFunction
diff --git a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/factory/factory_test.go b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/factory/factory_test.go
index 9c08b489aeb..a39bea0b1c6 100644
--- a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/factory/factory_test.go
+++ b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/factory/factory_test.go
@@ -115,19 +115,19 @@ func TestCreateFromEmptyConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	factory.CreateFromConfig(policy)
 }
 
-func PredicateOne(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func PredicateOne(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	return true, nil
 }
 
-func PredicateTwo(pod api.Pod, existingPods []api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
+func PredicateTwo(pod *api.Pod, existingPods []*api.Pod, node string) (bool, error) {
 	return true, nil
 }
 
-func PriorityOne(pod api.Pod, podLister algorithm.PodLister, minionLister algorithm.MinionLister) (algorithm.HostPriorityList, error) {
+func PriorityOne(pod *api.Pod, podLister algorithm.PodLister, minionLister algorithm.MinionLister) (algorithm.HostPriorityList, error) {
 	return []algorithm.HostPriority{}, nil
 }
 
-func PriorityTwo(pod api.Pod, podLister algorithm.PodLister, minionLister algorithm.MinionLister) (algorithm.HostPriorityList, error) {
+func PriorityTwo(pod *api.Pod, podLister algorithm.PodLister, minionLister algorithm.MinionLister) (algorithm.HostPriorityList, error) {
 	return []algorithm.HostPriority{}, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/modeler.go b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/modeler.go
index a80187477ea..fef0998d496 100644
--- a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/modeler.go
+++ b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/modeler.go
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ func (s *SimpleModeler) ForgetPodByKey(key string) {
 }
 
 // Extract names for readable logging.
-func podNames(pods []api.Pod) []string {
+func podNames(pods []*api.Pod) []string {
 	out := make([]string, len(pods))
 	for i := range pods {
 		out[i] = fmt.Sprintf("'%v/%v (%v)'", pods[i].Namespace, pods[i].Name, pods[i].UID)
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ func podNames(pods []api.Pod) []string {
 	return out
 }
 
-func (s *SimpleModeler) listPods(selector labels.Selector) (pods []api.Pod, err error) {
+func (s *SimpleModeler) listPods(selector labels.Selector) (pods []*api.Pod, err error) {
 	assumed, err := s.assumedPods.List(selector)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -140,20 +140,20 @@ func (s *SimpleModeler) listPods(selector labels.Selector) (pods []api.Pod, err
 	// Goal here is to stop making assumptions about a pod once it shows
 	// up in one of these other lists.
 	for _, pod := range assumed {
-		qExist, err := s.queuedPods.Exists(&pod)
+		qExist, err := s.queuedPods.Exists(pod)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		if qExist {
-			s.assumedPods.Store.Delete(&pod)
+			s.assumedPods.Store.Delete(pod)
 			continue
 		}
-		sExist, err := s.scheduledPods.Exists(&pod)
+		sExist, err := s.scheduledPods.Exists(pod)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		if sExist {
-			s.assumedPods.Store.Delete(&pod)
+			s.assumedPods.Store.Delete(pod)
 			continue
 		}
 	}
@@ -190,6 +190,6 @@ type simpleModelerPods struct {
 }
 
 // List returns pods known and assumed to exist.
-func (s simpleModelerPods) List(selector labels.Selector) (pods []api.Pod, err error) {
+func (s simpleModelerPods) List(selector labels.Selector) (pods []*api.Pod, err error) {
 	return s.simpleModeler.listPods(selector)
 }
diff --git a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/modeler_test.go b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/modeler_test.go
index 45fd3914b89..d4bb3526058 100644
--- a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/modeler_test.go
+++ b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/modeler_test.go
@@ -30,15 +30,15 @@ type nn struct {
 
 type names []nn
 
-func (ids names) list() []api.Pod {
-	out := make([]api.Pod, len(ids))
-	for i, id := range ids {
-		out[i] = api.Pod{
+func (ids names) list() []*api.Pod {
+	out := make([]*api.Pod, 0, len(ids))
+	for _, id := range ids {
+		out = append(out, &api.Pod{
 			ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 				Namespace: id.namespace,
 				Name:      id.name,
 			},
-		}
+		})
 	}
 	return out
 }
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ func (ids names) has(pod *api.Pod) bool {
 
 func TestModeler(t *testing.T) {
 	table := []struct {
-		queuedPods    []api.Pod
-		scheduledPods []api.Pod
-		assumedPods   []api.Pod
+		queuedPods    []*api.Pod
+		scheduledPods []*api.Pod
+		assumedPods   []*api.Pod
 		expectPods    names
 	}{
 		{
@@ -79,16 +79,16 @@ func TestModeler(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, item := range table {
 		q := &cache.StoreToPodLister{cache.NewStore(cache.MetaNamespaceKeyFunc)}
-		for i := range item.queuedPods {
-			q.Store.Add(&item.queuedPods[i])
+		for _, pod := range item.queuedPods {
+			q.Store.Add(pod)
 		}
 		s := &cache.StoreToPodLister{cache.NewStore(cache.MetaNamespaceKeyFunc)}
-		for i := range item.scheduledPods {
-			s.Store.Add(&item.scheduledPods[i])
+		for _, pod := range item.scheduledPods {
+			s.Store.Add(pod)
 		}
 		m := NewSimpleModeler(q, s)
-		for i := range item.assumedPods {
-			m.AssumePod(&item.assumedPods[i])
+		for _, pod := range item.assumedPods {
+			m.AssumePod(pod)
 		}
 
 		list, err := m.PodLister().List(labels.Everything())
@@ -98,14 +98,14 @@ func TestModeler(t *testing.T) {
 
 		found := 0
 		for _, pod := range list {
-			if item.expectPods.has(&pod) {
+			if item.expectPods.has(pod) {
 				found++
 			} else {
 				t.Errorf("found unexpected pod %#v", pod)
 			}
 		}
 		if e, a := item.expectPods, found; len(e) != a {
-			t.Errorf("Expected pods:\n%+v\nFound pods:\n%v\n", e, list)
+			t.Errorf("Expected pods:\n%+v\nFound pods:\n%s\n", podNames(e.list()), podNames(list))
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/scheduler.go b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/scheduler.go
index 1ff417b97c5..49987c17492 100644
--- a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/scheduler.go
+++ b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/scheduler.go
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ func (s *Scheduler) scheduleOne() {
 	defer func() {
 		metrics.E2eSchedulingLatency.Observe(metrics.SinceInMicroseconds(start))
 	}()
-	dest, err := s.config.Algorithm.Schedule(*pod, s.config.MinionLister)
+	dest, err := s.config.Algorithm.Schedule(pod, s.config.MinionLister)
 	metrics.SchedulingAlgorithmLatency.Observe(metrics.SinceInMicroseconds(start))
 	if err != nil {
 		glog.V(1).Infof("Failed to schedule: %v", pod)
diff --git a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/scheduler_test.go b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
index 41b8c0cf040..3766e4ade8e 100644
--- a/plugin/pkg/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
+++ b/plugin/pkg/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ type mockScheduler struct {
 	err     error
 }
 
-func (es mockScheduler) Schedule(pod api.Pod, ml scheduler.MinionLister) (string, error) {
+func (es mockScheduler) Schedule(pod *api.Pod, ml scheduler.MinionLister) (string, error) {
 	return es.machine, es.err
 }