Amber Portwood Encouraged to Fight Gary Shirley on Teen Mom By MTV, Report Claims

Did MTV not only allow, but encourage Amber Portwood to lay the smack down on Gary Shirley on Teen Mom? That's the allegation of a new tabloid report.

Portwood is planning to use that as a defense against the felony charges she faces after manhandling Gary on a recent episode, the National Enquirer says.

Just when we were willing to give Teen Mom its due for lowering teen pregnancy rates, we learn MTV may be handing out bonuses for domestic violence. Wow.

Amber caught Gary off guard. The producers? Possibly not.

The 20-year-old single mom was recently charged with two felony counts of domestic battery after she was shown kicking and punching Gary this fall.

He was fine, but Amber and Gary's 2-year-old daughter, Leah, was present during two of the violent attacks, contributing to the felony classification.

Amber Portwood insists the violence was all a ruse and that show execs gave her an extra $1,000 to "get physical" with her ex during filming. Why?

Because they "wanted more drama," says an insider.

But is it really true, or just a viable legal explanation?

"Amber knows she needs a good defense, and reality show producers are known to stage scenes, so she thinks it's believable," a source dishes.

"She says that the producers were concerned because they don't get much drama from the other moms. They told her she and Gary were the most popular couple on the show and that they would pay her extra to provoke a fight."

"Amber says Gary didn't know about it because they wanted a 'spontaneous' reaction from him." Safe to say they got it, based on the above pic.

A source close to Amber blames MTV, as "the producers lead them to believe they can do anything without repercussions because they are stars."

Hey, at least she's not pregnant again.

The Indiana Department of Child Protective Services temporarily granted Shirley full custody of Leah, but have since returned her to Portwood.

In late November, Leah was officially deemed a ward of the state. After six months of monitoring by DCS, Amber can file for custody again.

Right now, she has bigger problems, and Amber is so freaked out jail that she's willing to do whatever it takes to beat the assault charges.

"She can't believe MTV would put her in this position," added the insider. "It will negatively affect her for the rest of her life if she does time."

Do you think MTV should be held responsible for the actions of the Teen Mom stars, or that they would encourage this? Discuss.