The hugely successful musical reality television show, "The Voice" ventures out to its audiences for its eighth season. By now, fans of the show are excited about the all star judging panel. Apart from "Voice" veterans Blake Shelton and Adam Levine, who have been on the panel for 8 seasons, the eighth installment of the show brings Christina Aguilera and Pharrel Williams together for the first time.

Christina Aguilera is back from a two season break after sealing her engagement with producer Mathew Rutler and giving birth to a beautiful baby daughter, Summer Rain. Apparently, she even managed to wedge in some time to work on her next studio album. Gwen Stefani and Shakira stepped in to fill her place on the judging panel in her absence. Christina stated that returning to the show after the hiatus felt like "coming back home."

The new season promises an extraordinary challenge for the judges as they were reported to be blown away by the sheer volume of talent on the show. In a recently released clip from "The Voice: Season 8" premiere, judges were shown to be impressed in a big way by one of the contestants, named Sarah Potenza. Fans cannot wait to see who she chooses as her coach.

"The Voice" maintains the same popular format it has been running with in past seasons. For viewers planning on watching the show for the first time, here's a lowdown on how it plays out:

There are totally five stages. The first stage is comprised of Blind Auditions followed by Battle Rounds. Then comes the Knockouts, and the "Live Playoffs." The show ends with Live Performance Shows where a winner is finally picked out. Apart from the all-star judge panel, the show also features "guest mentors" who assist the coaches with tapping the full potential of their teams. The eighth season of "The Voice" features Lionel Richie, Meghan Trainor, Elle Goulding, and Nick Jonas as guest mentors.

"The Voice - Season Eight" premiers tonight, February 23 on NBC at 8 p.m.