I think MTV knew EXACTLY that this would be the result. EXACTLY. She rehearsed as they chose the outfit, the dancing bears, the camera angles, etc. They KNEW this would be the results.
THEY have nothing to lose. Sponsors aren't going anywhere - I bet the show has a LOT better viewership next year. Suddenly, MTV is being talked about again. Every year they try a dumb stunt... eminem getting landed on by howard stern, etc... Well, this year's stunt was disguised as an actual performance.
Maybe Miley Cyrus wasn't in on the joke. Maybe she was. Who knows. They predicted this results, I'm sure of it. Inappropriate, but it does make a dying Mtv relevant for another year, and makes them a pile of money. They're media geniuses with 30 years of doing this. THey KNEW we'd all be talking about it today.