Underwood Sweeps Chicks Under the Rug at CMT Awards

The people have spoken. The Dixie Chicks it ain't.

The controversial country trio were finalists for Video of the Year and Group Video of Year at the 2007 CMT Music Awards, but when all was said and done, the cable network's viewers made nice with Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts.

Underwood's "Before He Cheats" was named Video of the Year Monday, bringing the 24-year-old Oklahoman's career full circle in less than 12 months.

"It was at the CMT Awards last year that I gave my very first acceptance speech ever," the two-time Grammy winner reminisced as she continued her post-Idol domination. "Let me tell you, it's great to be up here again…I started out on a fan-based show, and you guys have continued to support me through everything."

Underwood's sassy pre-venge anthem was a dominant 3 for 3, also capturing Female Video of the Year and a Video Director of the Year honor for Roman White, who called Underwood "one of the sweetest people I've ever met."

This was Underwood's second Female Video win in a row, having taken the trophy last year as well for "Jesus Take the Wheel."

CMT's kudofest, held in Nashville at Belmont University's Curb Event Center, honors the best in country music videos as chosen by the fans, who vote for the winners online.

While most categories comprised four finalists, the field for Video of the Year started off with eight nominees, including the Dixie Chicks for "Not Ready to Make Nice." That list had been whittled down to four by the beginning of Monday's live telecast on CMT, which in keeping with the viewer participation theme, was also streamed on CMT.com.

In the end, Underwood beat out Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney.

The Chicks, while big-time winners at the Grammys this year, are still having a tough time winning over the organizations that helped put them on the map, such as the Academy of Country Music, which left the Texas-rooted trio and their album Taking the Long Way off the list last month when announcing the nominees for the 2007 ACM Awards.

"I understand the songs on that album are great, but I listen to country radio so I haven't heard them yet," host Jeff Foxworthy cracked.

Kenny Chesney also repeated for Male Video of the Year, this time with "You Save Me," a song that is not about Renée Zellweger.

Newcomer Taylor Swift, 17, won for Breakthrough Video of the Year with her debut single "Tim McGraw," proving that it never hurts to name-check an established country superstar and former CMT Award winner when you're just getting started. While it's not actually a love letter to Faith Hill's hubby, the song is about dancing to a McGraw tune with a lost love. (How country.)

Rascal Flatts, they of the second-bestselling album of 2006, showed it don't mean a thang if you ain't got that twang, winning Group Video of the Year for "What Hurts the Most," off of the multiplatinum Me and My Gang.

"To the fans, we wish every show was fan-voted," frontman Gary LeVox said. Well, with 3.5 million records sold, who wouldn't?

Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, otherwise known as Sugarland, snatched up Duo Video of the Year for "Want To," and Jack Ingram's "Love You" won the inaugural Wide Open Country title, established for artists who wouldn't normally be mentioned in the same breath as Carrie, Kenny and Keith.

Ingram's fellow nominees this year included Sheryl Crow and Sting for "Always on Your Side," Jimmy Buffett for "Bama Breeze" and Johnny Cash (who would be mentioned in the same breath) for "God's Gonna Cut You Down" off of the posthumous American V: A Hundred Highways.

Singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson was given the Johnny Cash Visionary Award, named after his fellow Highwayman, which honors musical vision, innovation, groundbreaking music videos and "pioneering initiatives in entertainment."

Roseanne Cash presented the award to her late father's former bandmate.

"About 42 years ago, back when I was still wearing an Army uniform and I was older than Hank Williams was when he died [at age 29], I shook Johnny Cash's hand backstage at the Ryman Auditorium," Kristofferson said. "And it changed my life. He was my hero. He was my inspiration. He was my champion. And ultimately, incredibly, he was my friend."

Here is the complete list of winners from the 2007 CMT Music Awards:

• Video of the Year: "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood
• Male Video: "You Save Me," Kenny Chesney
• Female Video: "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood
• Duo Video: "Want To," Sugarland
• Group Video: "What Hurts the Most," Rascal Flatts
• Breakthrough Video: "Tim McGraw," Taylor Swift
• Wide Open Country Video: "Love You," Jack Ingram
• Video Director: Roman White, "Before He Cheats" (Carrie Underwood)
• Johnny Cash Visionary Award: Kris Kristofferson