Luke Bryan & Dierks Bentley Just Made A Really Awkward Joke At The ACM Awards

The Academy of Country Music Awards differ from other award shows in that there are a lot of musical performances and not a lot of banter from hosts and presenters. But if the jokes we did hear from hosts Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley are any indication, that's not necessarily a bad thing. About halfway through the show, Bryan and Bentley reminded the audience that Katy Perry and Dolly Parton would perform. To build excitement for the duet, Bryan urged the audience to get ready. But in reply, Bentley joked, "What a great pair!" (To finish off the bit, Bryan gave Bentley a horrified look and Bentley faux-corrected himself: "A great pairing!") The joke only became more awkward within the greater context of the awards show. Many fans on Twitter were disappointed that there were less female performers than male performers at the event. And the men who did perform weren't introduced with jokes that less-than-subtly referenced, well, balls.

There's no doubt that Perry and Parton's performance will be memorable, since both ladies are music powerhouses in their own right. But it would be nice if the performance wasn't prefaced by such a crude (and not funny) joke.