As co-host of the CMA Awards for the past three years, Brad Paisley knows a thing or two about being the master of ceremonies, and he thinks Blake Shelton did an amazing job with his first-time co-hosting duties at the ACM Awards Sunday night.

"I thought he was awesome, and I think he's probably got a permanent gig," Brad tells The Boot. "I was floored and so proud of [both Blake and Reba]. Together they made a great team, and all of their jokes landed. He's a natural. I was really proud."

Brad took home the award for Top Male Vocalist for the fifth consecutive time, although he didn't think he had a chance to win it; instead believing the trophy would go to Blake, who was named the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in November.

"I really actually expected for him to win this [Top Male Vocalist award], and I would've been very happy if he had," he says. "We're actually going on tour in a couple of weeks. He grabbed me as soon as I walked offstage, and he said, 'I ain't going!' [laughs]"

As far as the win itself, Brad says it almost felt like the first time he won Top New Male Vocalist. "It's sort of like there was this peak where the first time is this massive, amazing experience and you never thought you'd win the award," he explains. "The second time a little less so. The third time a little less so. The fourth time came back up, because I thought last year I wouldn't win it. And then this year, I lost a lot of money this evening, and not at the gambling tables. I really thought, 'That's it! Four and that's really amazing to think about.' So it was a really emotional thing for me thinking about that and the fact that you're starting to overcome fatigue with voters. I mean, voters have to -- whether or not you deserve anything -- start to think, 'Come on! He's got too many of those.'"

Brad is set to kick off his H2O II: Wetter & Wilder tour in Pittsburgh, Pa., on May 28, and he is taking Blake Shelton, Jerrod Niemann, Sunny Sweeney, Edens Edge and Brent Anderson along for the ride. For more information on Brad's tour dates, click here.

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