It's a tragedy for me to see the dream is over: TMZ is reporting that Here Comes Honey Boo Boo matriarch June Thompson and her fairly beta other half Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson are no more. It seems that Sugar Bear has been trolling online for a new partner, and Mama June is convinced that he's been cheating on her. Total coincidence: They just happen to be filming Season 5 of their TLC reality show as this is happening.

"We're told the producers of the show are scrambling to try and figure out what's next," writes TMZ, whose piece cites "sources."

Bull. Shit.

Reality TV producers scramble to devise things for their subjects to do, especially when said subjects' favorite activity is sitting around their living room and farting. When real life happens, all they need to do is point their damn cameras and let it unfurl. This development would be a boon to a show that, after almost 60 episodes, is feeling pretty inert, much less discussed now than it was when it debuted two years ago, and suffering from a ratings decline.

In fact, it would be such a boon that it's reasonable to believe this whole estrangement is being orchestrated for the sake of the show, much like how Season 2 focused on the potential Mama June-Sugar Bear nuptials and ended on their camo-clad commitment ceremony.

In a joint statement, June and Sugar Bear told TMZ:

Sugar Bear and I have decided to take some time apart to figure out some things in our relationship. 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.

Is it real? Is it fake? How much farting will occur on the road to answers? Tune in next season for the most gut-wrenching Here Comes Honey Boo Boo episodes ever. My interest in the show is renewed, so at least for one increasingly fickle viewer, this quite possibly planted story is working. That's showbiz!

[Image via Splash]