Have you heard about this Jersey Shore? The internet is ablaze with quotes, commentary and controversy, initially about the reality show’s portrayal of Italian-Americans (check my last name, please), but this week the discussion has been all about the punch heard ’round the world. In a surprisingly respectful twist, MTV has decided not air the footage of Snooki getting hit in a bar next week. But it might actually be a slimy move by the network because the damage is done.

Let’s look back at what has happened up to this point:

A preview at the end of the second episode showed a brief and brutal clip of especially boisterous cast member Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi getting savagely punched in the face by a man at a bar. As reported by the New York Post, the assaulter was a Queens gym teacher who has since been suspended. The stunning clip made the rounds on the blogs and incited many a debate about violence, violence against women, violence on television, violence in bars, violence when drinking, and you get the idea.

Under scrutiny, MTV announced they would be showing a PSA during the episode in which the sucker punch occurs, set to air next week. But after this week’s episode (the show’s third), MTV showed the preview clip again, knowing full well the controversy the first airing caused, as noted at the end of this Gawker piece. Now E! Online is reporting exclusively that MTV will pull the footage of the actual assault from next week’s episode after the clip went viral.

“What happened to Snooki was a crime and obviously extremely disturbing,” MTV said in a written statement. “After hearing from our viewers, further consulting with experts on the issue of violence, and seeing how the video footage has been taken out of context not to show the severity of this act or resulting consequences, MTV has decided not to air Snooki being physically punched in the face.” (via)

Here’s the thing, though: Because of the barbaric nature of the clip, MTV had to know the sort of backlash they would be facing upon its airing, especially within the context of a show already proven to be a magnet for criticism. This isn’t new ground for the network and it seems carefully orchestrated. (Remember Irene and Stephen’s Seattle Real World slap?) And so, knowing full well they couldn’t in good conscience air video of the crime, MTV made sure to show the promo as many times as possible, fully understanding the viral nature of the web. Now, people are forced to tune in to see the punch’s aftermath and the network still gets to look respectable by not airing the reality show money shot.

If you have no television or a lot of self-control, you might not have seen the clip in question, but a .gif form of it has been practically inescapable on the web in the last week. If you dare, it’s on the next page.



>>>NEXT: The viral .gif of Snooki getting punched… Be warned! Plus, TMZ catches up with the cast in Hollywood…

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