‘The Voice’ Season 8 Premiere Recap (Watch The Performances)

A teenager and a 20-year-old country crooner were among the artists who had the coaches battling it out on the Season 8 premiere of “The Voice.”

Christina Aguilera, back from a break, was in fighting form, passionately pleading for certain artists, and she helped keep one coach – Adam Levine – out of the game. He ended the episode without a single contestant from the first night of blind auditions on his team.

Here’s who connected with the coaches on the first night, and our rundown of some of the best comments from the folks in the big red chairs: Christina, Adam, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams…

PHOTOS: ‘The Voice’ Season 8

Contestant: Sarah Potenza, 34
Song: “Stay With Me” (The Faces)
Who Turned: Everyone
Best Comment From A Coach: “I mean, between the Nashville, the camouflage shirt and those cowboy boots and jeans, I really think we have a connection here.” – Blake
Who She Picked: Blake

Contestant: Lowell Oakley, 19
Song: “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (Duke Ellington)
Who Turned: Adam and Pharrell
Best Comment From A Coach: “I’m not trying to rebuild your house. I’m just simply gonna look at your blue prints. You tell me where the nails are. I’m gonna help you hit them.” – Pharrell
Who He Picked: Pharrell

Contestant: Rob Taylor, 22
Song: “I Want You” (Luke James)
Who Turned: Christina, Pharrell and Adam
Best Comment From A Coach: “You gotta come home,” Christina said, walking up to Rob on the stage after his performance. “He’s Team Christina all the way, is he not? I have to have you! Ignore them. Ignore those two.”
Who He Picked: Christina

Contestant: Cody Wickline, 20
Song: “He Stopped Loving Her Today” (George Jones)
Who Turned: Everyone
Best Comment From A Coach: “I went to the CMT Awards twice. I think that all four of us would just love to rise to the occasion to work with an anomaly like you and I think there’s so much that you could teach me. I’ve not had anyone on my team like you before.” – Pharrell
Who He Chose: Blake

Contestant: Treeva Gibson, 16
Song: “Young and Beautiful” (Lana Del Rey)
Who Turned: Christina and Blake
Best Comment From A Coach: “I feel like I just heard something that I never heard before. Your voice completely just drapes over the band. It’s not something that you can do by design. You’re born to sing that way. That’s amazing. … And I think I’m a really good coach for you.” – Blake
Who She Picked: Christina

Contestant: Meghan Linsey, 28
Song: “Love Hurts” (Nazareth)
Who Turned: Adam, Pharrell and Christina
Best Comment From A Coach: “I turned around because I felt like I sensed your soul. It was a little bit of Joplin-like-esque attitude and I would love to just garnish you with song selections… because you’re the main course here.” – Pharrell
Who She Picked: Pharrell

Contestant: Joshua Davis, 37
Song: “I Shall Be Released” (The Band/Bob Dylan)
Who Turned: Adam and Blake
Best Comment From A Coach: “That song – it’s a huge part of my upbringing and it’d feel like I was getting back to something that I’ve missing, and something that is so close to my heart. It would just mean the world to me to have you on my team.” – Adam
Who He Picked: Blake

Contestant: Sawyer Fredericks, 15
Song: “I’m A Man of Constant Sorrow”
Who Turned: Everyone
Best Comment From A Coach: “I’m on a thin thread right now, Sawyer, and I need someone like you. I need someone to crush Blake with – which is you. I promise you, you’re not going anywhere, until you’re the last person standing in this competition. … Go with the person who wants to propel you all the way to the finish line.” – Adam
Who He Picked: Pharrell

“The Voice” continues Tuesday at 8 PM ET/PT on NBC.

— Jolie Lash