Are Honey Boo Boo’s Mama June and Sugar Bear faking a split for ratings?

Believers in true love were heartbroken last week when Here Comes Honey Boo Boo‘s June Shannon confirmed she and Mike Thompson had separated.

“Sugar Bear and I have decided to take some time apart to figure out some things in our relationship,” she said last Friday. “We are taking things day by day but regardless of what happens the girls will always be our #1 priority. We want to thank ya’ll for your support.”

At the time the split was announced, sources said TLC producers were scrambling to address the drama… Now it seems they’ve done a perfectly fine job, as Mama June and the girls were photographed looking at luxe new houses with a camera crew in tow this week.

A few locals have since spoken out about how odd the situation seems.

“I didn’t know anything about them splitting up. If it’s local gossip, we’d hear,” Doris Phillips, who supposedly used to take the girls to Sunday school, told Radar Online. “I spoke to several other people and they didn’t know either.”

Another source said Sugar Bear even let it slip that the “split” is a ploy to improve ratings, which were significantly down during the fourth season.

“It just isn’t the hit that it once was,” a source told Radar Online in a separate story. “The fact that they are indeed filming right now when these cheating allegations surfaced speaks volumes.”

The insider said Sugar Bear reluctantly agreed to go along with the scheme, but it’s taken a toll on him.

“He would never stray from the family,” the source said. “He doesn’t like people thinking he cheated on his baby mama. He is a simple guy who is being used and it’s just sad.”

Even Uncle Poodle seemed to cast doubt on the validity of breakup story when he responded to our article about his engagement this week…

@starcasm least it's a true story

— Uncle Poodle (Lee) (@TheUnclePoodle) September 23, 2014

UPDATE A Daily Mail reporter embedded in McIntyre said Mama June really appears to have “shut out” Sugar Bear, who is staying with a friend. He’s reportedly under a gag order by TLC not to talk about the split until new episodes air. Meanwhile, Mama June has reportedly “kept paparazzi photographers up to speed on their schedule to ensure she gets maximum exposure.” Honestly, based on the wordy story, I’m even more confused…

Do you think Mama June and Sugar Bear’s split is scripted TV drama or the real deal?