NBCChristina's back, y'all! It's very fitting that the superstar has returned for The Voice's landmark tenth season—and after watching the premiere, it's clear that the talent they've recruited this year is top-notch (um, you saw Alisan Porter's audition, right?).
The rest of the folks who auditioned for coaches Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams were pretty excellent, too. Here are our thoughts on every blind audition from the episode. Share yours in the comments below!
Paxton Ingram, 23, Miami, Fla.
This former backup dancer kicked off the season in a very pleasant way. Somehow it's always a little more nerve-wracking when someone who holds another role in the entertainment industry decides to audition—like, what if they're bad? But this was the first audition of the season, after all, so he couldn't have been bad. In fact, he was great, and the way he took on Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" (and didn't even change the pronouns!) was great. His choice of Team Blake? Slightly baffling, but why not? Blake knows how to launch artists and he knows music, so this could be a very interesting collaboration.
Caity Peters, 21, Long Beach, Calif.
Hey, she might be the black sheep of her family for choosing music over professional careers in law or medicine, but the girl's got talent and was the first person to join Team Pharrell.
Nick Hagelin, 28, Atlanta, Ga.
Just setting aside how objectively attractive this dude is…can we talk about all the other things that made him so swoonworthy? He's a former ballet dancer with a gorgeous wife and adorable son who helped his son overcome his a severe disability that doctors said meant he would never walk. Guess what: That adorable little nugget is walking just fine, and stepped right onto the stage where his father nailed his audition to greet Christina, Blake and Pharrell, who all turned for his dad, and Adam, whose song his pops had just performed. But back to the handsomeness: This babe should do great with Pharrell, whom he wisely chose and complimented him as the Quincy Jones of our generation.
Maddie Poppe, 17, Iowa
This queen of extracurricular activities at her high school (she's both a cheerleader and the student body president) was noticeably nervous during her Florence and the Machine song—which meant none of the judges turned for her, but they did tell her to keep practicing and come back.
Mary Sarah, 20, Nashville by way of Texas
Once we found out that this country singer recorded an album of duets with some of the genre's most legendary performers (hi, Dolly Parton!) when she was a teen, it wasn't a surprise that she sang one of the show's best country auditions ever. It also wasn't a surprise that she got all four chairs to turn, nor was it surprising that she chose Blake as her coach. Duh. She shouldn't be working at the boot store much longer.
Mike Schiavo, 21, Los Angeles by way of New Jersey
Once this New Jersey native started talking about what an influence Maroon 5's album "Songs About Jane" had on his life, there was no question he'd pick Adam should the coach turn his chair. And once the Archie doppelganger started singing his version of Tove Lo's "Talking Body" there was no question Adam would turn. The fun surprise: When Christina goaded Adam into dueting on "She Will Be Loved" with the guy, who winged it on his guitar as Adam shouted chords. Definitely an early contender for sure.
Queen Sessi, 24, Los Angeles by way of The Bronx
Unfortunately, while this dance singer's performance of the ‘90s staple "Show Me Love" was very energetic, it wasn't enough to get any of the judges to turn.
Bryan Bautista, 23, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Okay, did this former stadium usher look this much like Drake last time he auditioned? Either way, not mad about his good looks this time around—and his "The Hills" cover was pretty great too, enough to earn him a spot as the first member of Team Christina.
Abby Celso, 20, Rochester, N.Y.
How mad do you think this girl was when she found out that Tori Kelly was Team Adam's adviser? Especially after singing Kelly's hit "Should've Been Us," then choosing Pharrell over Adam instead?
John Gillman, 23, New Jersey
Rockabilly is one genre that hasn't gotten too much play on The Voice, and this New Jersey native who has worked some of the most fascinating jobs every (seriously, blimps?!) hopes to bring it back for Team Adam.
Alisan Porter, 34, Agoura Hills, Calif.
You might have seen the former child star's audition already, but DANG. Feel free to listen again and again and again, because the woman formerly known as Curly Sue has an incredible voice. No wonder all four chairs turned. It will be a surprise if she doesn't go all the way—could the newly minted Team Christina member be the one to finally get a female coach a win?
What did you think of the first batch of Voice contestants? Who is your favorite so far?
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)