The latest episode of SBS's 'K-Pop Star' surprised viewers with its many unexpected situations.

First and foremost, Michelle Lee, who is one of the strongest contestants on the show alongside Park Ji Min, did not secure a spot in the top ten.

This week's episode contained different rules. Remaining contestants who passed the previous round were sub-divided into groups of three, with the top winner from each group being guaranteed a spot in the next round. Runner-ups avoid elimination, but must face another competition later amongst themselves; third place contestants get kicked out of the show entirely.

Michelle Lee lost first place to Baek Ah Yeon, who was able to deliver a more solid performance with her cover of Big Bang's "Haru Haru".  Michelle, on the other hand, messed up quite a bit due to her sore throat, which made her voice crack many times during her performance.

The judges did not accept her sore throat as a legitimate excuse and criticized Michelle for not taking care of her body like a professional singer. J.Y. Park stressed that if she was really serious about this competition, she shouldn't have greeted the judges when she stepped onto the stage in order to protect her voice. Fellow judge BoA also expressed disappointment, saying that she saw Michelle talking continuously with the other contestants at the SM building despite her bad condition.

After placing second, Michelle headed to a waiting room designated for runner-ups who were instructed to wait before launching into another round of auditions. Oh Tae Suk, who was already waiting in the room, tried to greet Michelle when she entered, but was stopped when she snapped, "Don't talk to me".

Michelle's behavior drew mixed reactions from netizens, ranging from "She has to protect her voice. She did the right thing" and "That was very rude of her."