There’s something fishy going on with Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino, and it’s not what you think (I know you’re thinking “venereal disease,” you dirty, dirty reader, you).

Nope. He’s in rehab — but the reasons why are very murky.

Apparently, the “Jersey Shore” star became “dependent on prescription pills to counter-act his hard-partying lifestyle, which included illegal substances. Mike was in a vicious cycle of not sleeping because of the illegal substances that he was taking, so he began using prescription pills to help him sleep,” a source told RadarOnline. “Mike would refer to the prescription pills as ‘downers.’ The good news is that he was the one that wanted to get help and checked into rehab. Hopefully with the proper treatment, Mike will be able to lead a sober life.”

But his representative has denied all of this, issuing the classic “he’s suffering from exhaustion” statement: “He is not in rehab for substance abuse. He has spent the last several weeks at an undisclosed location for much-needed rest and recuperation after his extensive production and appearance schedule.”

As for Sorrentino, he tweeted Tuesday night: “Don’t believe everything you read or hear.”

If he is indeed in rehab for substance abuse, doesn’t that mean he probably shouldn’t be partying so hard when “Jersey Shore” goes back for filming the just-announced sixth season? With Snooki not drinking because of her pregnancy and The Situation refraining from “hard partying,” what is to become of a show that is completely based around its characters getting wasted?

Next thing you know, they’re going to start using sunblock.

Burke on her ‘DWTS’ predictions

Brooke Burke-Charvet was in New York City yesterday for the launch of her short film, “The Difference is Clear” for Claritin (watch it here). In between chatting with her about runny noses, we got the chance to talk with the co-host of “Dancing with the Stars” about the new season.

“There were so many great dancers Monday night. It’s really the first time that we’ve seen that level of dancing so soon,” she told us about the show’s premiere. “We’ve never had 9s ever on a premiere, so it’s a tough one.” As for who she sees as early standouts? “There was a handful of people that did really well that I think are better than our semifinals that we’ve had in the past. Jaleel White did great, I think Donald [Driver] might creep up and be a dark horse. Katherine [Jenkins] did amazing.

Everybody’s talking about William Levy. Hard to tell, everybody was great.”