Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw win big at CMT Awards

Country musicโ€™s wildest party of the year turned it up a notch as hosts ErinAndrews and J.J. Watt led a star-studded event at the โ€œ2016 CMT Music Awardsโ€ live from Nashvilleโ€™s Bridgestone Arena. Carrie Underwood owned the night, winning โ€œFemale Video of the Yearโ€ and โ€œCMT Performance of the Yearโ€ for โ€œSmoke Breakโ€ and surpassing her own record for the most wins in the showโ€™s history with a grand total of 15. Tim McGraw scored his first-ever โ€œVideo of the Yearโ€ win, the biggest award of the night, marking his first win since 2005. Blake Shelton nabbed the inaugural CMT #SocialSuperstar Award, honoring artists that are pioneering social media as a tool to regularly interact with fans through a multitude of platforms and apps.

It was a night of firsts as several artists walked away with their first ever โ€œCMT Music Awardsโ€ including Chris Stapleton (โ€œBreakthrough Video of the Yearโ€), Little Big Town (โ€œGroup/Duo Video of the Yearโ€), and Thomas Rhett (โ€œMale Video of the Year.โ€)

The show kicked off with a triple shot of star power. Keith Urban and tour mates Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris performed โ€œWasted Time,โ€ followed by Billy Ray Cyrus and Cheap Trick with a mash-up of โ€œDonโ€™t Be Cruel,โ€ a nod to his starring role on โ€œStill The King,โ€ and โ€œSurrenderโ€ right in the heart of Nashvilleโ€™s downtown, overflowing with fans on the streets and rooftops. Pitbull then carried on the party inside the Bridgestone Arena with a one-time-only performance of his hit โ€œMessinโ€™ Aroundโ€ with female powerhouses Leona Lewis and Cassadee Pope.

The evening was dominated by killer collaborations, including Little Big Town and Pharrell Williams (โ€œOne Danceโ€), Blake Shelton and The Oak Ridge Boys (โ€œDoing It To A Country Songโ€/โ€œElviraโ€), Dierks Bentley and Elle King (โ€œDifferent For Girlsโ€), Fifth Harmony and Cam (โ€œMaydayโ€/โ€Work From Homeโ€). Other must-see performances included Carrie Underwood (โ€œChurch Bellsโ€), Chris Stapleton (โ€œParachuteโ€), Florida Georgia Line (โ€œH.O.L.Y.โ€), Jason Aldean (โ€œLights Come Onโ€), Luke Bryan (โ€œHuntinโ€™, Fishinโ€™ and Lovinโ€™ Every Dayโ€) and Thomas Rhett (โ€œT-Shirtโ€). Go to CMT.com to watch and share performances.

Keeping with show tradition, the Awards featured a short film produced by CMT that spoofed the production with hosts Erin Andrews and J.J. Watt working in CMT offices and being interrupted by CMT โ€œemployeesโ€ Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker and Billy Ray Cyrus, with special appearances by Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and former host Kristen Bell.

Fans also raised their glass to the real outlaw and king of Bakersfield Merle Haggard in a tribute eloquently delivered by Dierks Bentley.

This year, the โ€œCMT Music Awardsโ€ featured a second concert stage sponsored by Firestone that included performances from some of country’s hottest new artists including Brothers Osborne, LOCASH, Maren Morris and Michael Ray.

Presenters included actors Vince Vaughn, Rob Riggle, Billy Gardell and Chad Michael Murray (both from CMTโ€™s forthcoming โ€œMillion Dollar Quartetโ€), radio personality Bobby Bones, CMT personality Cody Alan, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, country artists Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Chris Janson, Cole Swindell, Dan + Shay, Kellie Pickler and Kelsea Ballerini; pop singer Leona Lewis as well as actors Joey Lauren Adams and Madison Iseman from the new CMT series โ€œStill The King,โ€ which premieres June 12th.

The eveningโ€™s winners are as follows:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced during live telecast, with final voting held online at CMT.com during the show.

Tim McGraw โ€“ โ€œHumble and Kindโ€

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist

Carrie Underwood โ€“ โ€œSmoke Breakโ€

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist

Thomas Rhett โ€“ โ€œDie A Happy Man”

GROUP / DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a group or duo; awarded to the artists

Little Big Town โ€“ โ€œGirl Crushโ€

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)

Chris Stapleton โ€“ โ€œFire Awayโ€

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

Carrie Underwood โ€“ โ€œSmoke Breakโ€ (From CMT Instant Jam)

CMTย #SOCIALSUPERSTAR AWARD

The award honors artists who are pioneering social media as a tool to regularly interact with fans through a multitude of platforms and apps.

Blake Shelton

Additional airings of the โ€œCMT Music Awardsโ€ include the following: Thursday, June 9th at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.; Saturday, June 11th at 12 p.m.; Sunday June 12th at 6:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. All times are ET/PT.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn