CMT Preps Surprises For Wednesday’s Awards

CMT is preparing special surprises for its Wednesday (June 10) CMT Music Awards. Among them will be Reba McEntire‘s return to its stage after a 10-year hiatus.

Twenty-five-year-old Russian-German Zedd will be teaming up with Lady Antebellum for an EDM/country collaboration and Darius Rucker for a performance outside the Bridgestone Arena for thousands of fans.

An all-star lineup of Hollywood and country music celebrities include hosts Erin Andrews and Brittany Snow. Presenters include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Billy Ray Cyrus, David Spade, American Idol winner Nick Fradiani, and Tom Arnold. Appearances will also be made by Jana Kramer, actress Jenna Dewan-Tatum, athlete JJ Watt, Kellie Pickler, Little Big Town, actress Nikki Reed, actor Norman Reedus, comedian Ron White, Dancing with the Stars champion Rumer Willis, Sara Evans and Thomas Rhett.

Performers include Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt and Zac Brown Band.

The six finalists for Video of the Year will be announced at the beginning of the live show and fans can then vote at CMT.com throughout the live telecast (ET/CT only) to determine the night’s big winner. The original category, CMT Performance of the Year, is highly anticipated as it recognizes a special event from the network’s slew of original programming including CMT Crossroads, CMT Ultimate Kickoff Party, CMT Artists of the Year, CMT Instant Jam, and CMT Ultimate Kickoff Party.

Last year’s CMT Music Awards was the second most-watched telecast in franchise history, with 3-million total viewers (up +10% from the prior year). It was also the No. 1 most social telecast on Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings for the day. CMT reaches more than 92 million homes in the U.S.