ACA's Recap: Danica Patrick, Trace Adkins Co-Host, Blake Shelton Wins Big
Danica Patrick and Trace Adkins successfully fulfilled their hosting duties at the American Country Awards last night as today's biggest country music stars were honored.
The evening saw performances by Kellie Pickler, LeAnne Rimes, Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line and Jake Owens, among many others as Patrick and Adkins led the entertainment.
Opening the show at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Patrick shocked fans wearing a revealing and colorful costume, which featured feathers and sparkles.
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The race car driver's classic Las Vegas showgirls costume fit in with the casino theme for the country music awards show, and Patrick had warned her Twitter followers about her wardrobe options ahead of her opening act.
"Wardrobe is set for the show," the 31-year-old wrote on Dec. 8. "Some conventional… some not!"
However, the surprises did not end with Patrick's costume. The Sprint Cup racer's co-host at the ACA's, Trace Adkins, also took the stage dressed in the same getup while he sang "I Feel Pretty."
The co-hosts also joked about Patrick's "never before seen" country music album, "Checkered Past," and even revealed fake cover art for the pretend album before shifting the focus back onto real country music artists.
As the night went on, Florida Georgia Line became the night's top winner. The group took home six trophies such as the New Artist and Single of the Year Awards.
Blake Shelton followed with four awards, including the album of the year award with "Based on a True Story…" while Luke Bryan picked up both the artist of the year award and the Male artist of the year award.
Although Taylor Swift is in Australia on her "Red" world tour, the singer remotely accepted her award for Worldwide Artist of the Year on Tuesday. See a full list of ACA winners here.
Special performances of the night included Rimes' emotional tribute to Paty Cline. Ahead of the show, Rimes took to Twitter with her feelings.
"Just finished rehearsal for the ACAs I'm so excited to honor my favorite woman," she wrote to her followers. "Feels like it's coming full circle after 20 years.
Watch a clip of the show here.
