The last time Brooks & Dunn won the ACM for Duo of the Year, George Bush was president.

In 2008, the pair topped Big & Rich, Halfway to Hazard, Montgomery Gentry and Sugarland at the 43rd Annual ACM Awards. The next year, Sugarland would win, which is what presenter Kristian Bush was referring to in handing them the trophy.

Their nomination for the 2025 show was surprising, but not unreasonable given they’ve been touring in recent years. Their win?

Yeah, that was a shocker.

Related: 2025 ACM Awards Winners [Full List]

Dan + Shay, Brothers Osborne, Muscadine Bloodline and War + Treaty were the other nominees. Of that group of five duos, only Dan + Shay have had radio success in the last year, although that’s far from the only consideration for voters.

This year, they made a legacy play.

“Great job,” Ronnie Dunn said to no one in particular as he took the stage. He fumbled for words to accept the trophy, wrapping with “God bless country music and America!”

Kix Brooks thanked fans for “paying our rent” and the pair walked off the stage. Maybe they should have seen it coming, as voters named them the Vocal Duo of the Year winners at the 2024 CMA Awards last November.

This award was the first truly surprising win at the 2025 ACM Awards. Prior to that, Old Dominion won Group of the Year for a record-setting time, and Chris Stapleton won another ACM for Male Artist of the Year. If there was a theme for hour No. 1, it was ballads. Several artists brought new heartbreakers to the show, some debuting new music publicly for the first time.

Brooks & Dunn are expected to take the stage with Cody Johnson later in the night, singing “Red Dirt Road.”