MTV Video Music Awards viewers get punk'd in a ceremony that was anything but live

In the weeks leading up the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, the iconic network was super secretive about how it was going to pull off such an complicated event during a pandemic.

Now we know why. The ceremony, which aired Sunday on nearly a dozen channels, including the CW, was a largely pretaped event with all the spontaneity of a classic rock station.

Various publications have revealed that the Weeknd's performance overlooking Manhattan's Hudson Yards and Maluma's appearance at Brooklyn's Skyline Drive-In were recorded days earlier.

Some acceptance speeches leaked on social media before the start of the broadcast.

Page Six, the New York Post's gossip column, reported that Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus didn't even fly into the Big Apple, relying on green screen to hide the fact that they were actually performing and strutting the red carpet in Los Angeles.

The canned applause might as well have been lifted from a Tyler Perry sitcom. Lip-syncing solved the puzzle of how artists' words would be understood through face masks.

Host Keke Palmer dedicated the show to Chadwick Boseman in a separate segment, suggesting that she did her opening monologue before the "Black Panther" actor's death on Friday.

It's understandable that MTV took some shortcuts this year. Plans to put on the event in Brooklyn's Barclays Center were scrapped less than a month ago, forcing producers to improvise in a city still very much in lockdown mode.

They eventually hyped a show that would be peppered with performances from various outdoor locations throughout the five boroughs.

What they didn't tell us was that they planned to pretty much ignore the "live" aspect of the show.

The lack of transparency left viewers spending a lot of time trying to figure out when they were being hoodwinked instead of celebrating the best in popular music.

There were certainly moments to hum about, even if they were mostly through elaborate videos that took the place of standard stage performances in front of screaming kids.

DaBaby made "Blind" a strong statement on police brutality with the rapper stomping on the roof of a police car as New York City burned in the background. Miley Cyrus paid homage to her past by swapping a wrecking ball for a disco ball in "Midnight Sky." BTS showed why they are a certain generation's answer to the Beatles with a peppy version of "Dynamite" from South Korea.

And then there was Gaga, who may or may not have been on location, but still ended up stealing the evening with a medley of hits that included a stint at the piano.

She turned her multiple acceptance speeches into pep talks aimed directly at her Little Monsters. She raided her entire wardrobe, sporting everything from an optical-illusion dress to a bondage bikini. Her breathless sermons may have been a little over the top, but at least she was making an effort.

The same couldn't be said for winners Taylor Swift and H.E.R. who both phoned in their acceptance speeches from what appeared to be prison cells, robbing us of the chance to sneak a peek at what's on their bookshelves.

Palmer, who spent a lot of hosting duties trying to match Kimberly Guilfoyle's volume level at the Republican National Convention, contributed canned pieces from various NYC landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square, tone-deaf bits that depended more on makeup artists than comedy writers.

The 27-year-old star may have been an attractive draw for younger viewers, but if there was ever a time to call up Tiffany Haddish for duty, this was it.

Officially, Gaga was the big winner with three major awards, including artist of the year and song of year, which she shared with her "Rain On Me" duet partner Grande.

She was also honored with the inaugural Tricon Award, which was either some of kind of lifetime achievement award or an excuse to see what Gaga would be like if she were ever cast in Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods."

Doja Cat, who seemed to be the most appreciative winner of the night, was named Best New Artist. Video of the Year went to "Blinding Lights" by the Weeknd.

There were also special categories created to reflect the times.

The Mayo Clinic doctors who went viral earlier this year with their version of "Imagine" were among those honored as "Everyday Heroes: Frontline Medical Workers," but a winner was never announced, leaving viewers to assume that it was an honor just to be nominated.

Best Video at Home went to Justin Bieber and Grande. The fact that Grande didn't pop on stage to take a bow in front an artificial audience was more evidence that the pop star was never really on the premises.

The evening's biggest winner may be the Emmy Awards, which are scheduled to be handed out virtually on Sept. 20. Let's hope host Jimmy Kimmel and his team picked up some valuable tips, not the least of which is making sure that their live event is actually live — and lively.