‘The Voice,’ Season 10, Episode 1 Recap: Christina Aguilera Returns As Judge, Paxton Ingram And Abby Celso Shine

The Voice is back and ready for an epic season of hopefuls singing for the star-studded guest panel of returning judges, Blake Shelton, Pharrell and Adam Levine and season 8 coach Christina Aguilera coming back after a short break.

‘The Voice,’ Season 10, Episode 1 Recap

The season kicked off with its usual Blind Auditions with the usual bickering between Levine and Shelton.

The first hopeful to get picked was Miami-bred Paxton Ingram who sang Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own.” Shelton turned almost right away, and he was joined at the last minute by Levine and Pharrell. Ingram decided to try his luck with Shelton.

Next up was Caity Peters, who sang “Jealous” by Labyrinth. She received early turns from Aguilera and Pharell, with Levine joining towards the end. Peters went with Pharrell after the musician ran up on stage to give her a hug.

Nick Hagelin, who also shines as a ballet dancer, auditioned next with “Lost Stars” by Levine, who was the only couch to not turn his chair around. He decided to go with Pharrell.

Maddie Poppe, a high school senior, auditioned next and covered the classic, “Dog Days Are Over” but didn’t land any turns from the judges.

Mary Sarah, who sells boots part-time in Nashville, took the stage next to perform “Where The Boys Are.” Sarah had sang with country legends Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson but wanted to make it on her own. “It really brought me back to a different time and different place,” Levine said about the performance. All four judges turned their chairs and debated back and forth but the hopeful finally went with Team Blake.

Next to audition was Mike Schiavo and his acoustic version of Tove Lo‘s “Talking Body.” Pharrell and Levine turned immediately, joined later by Shelton. Pharrell described his tone as “crispy clear.” To win over the affection of Schiavo, Levin decided to join the artist on stage to sing a duet version of “She Will Be Loved,” a Maroon 5 classic. It won over Schiavo and he was the first to join Levine’s team.

Bryan Bautista was next and had previously auditioned last year but had no turns. This season he returned and sang his version of “The Hills” by The Weeknd. He was lucky this year considering he got a turn from Aguilera and she was joined at the last second by Shelton. He joined Team Christina.

Abby Celso sang “Should’ve Been Us,” next and nailed the chorus which prompted Levine and Pharrell. “I think you could win this whole thing, and I think you could do it on my team,” Levine said but Celso decided to join Team Pharell in the end.

John Gilman auditioned next and performed “Don’t Be Cruel” and added his own flair with his acoustic guitar. Levine unexpectedly was the only coach to turn, so Gilman joined Team Adam by default. “I don’t know why I didn’t hit my button. I’m really stupid,” Shelton admitted.

Last to audition was child actress Alisan Porter, who was the star of Curly Sue. She wowed the judges with her powerhouse of vocals and got all the judges to turn. Each judge took their turns to convince the actress to pick them but Aguilera won out by the end.

The Blind Auditions continue tonight.