The Voice kicked off its 26th season with debuting coaches Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé in the familiar red chairs, proving they were more than capable of giving veterans Gwen Stefani and Reba McEntire a run for their money. The premiere episode, which featured the season’s first Blind Auditions and a performance by the coaches of the Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight,” also introduced a welcome — and, frankly, long-awaited — twist (more on that later) to spice up the NBC singing competition.

More than a dozen aspiring singers recorded it The Voice stage in Monday’s two-hour season opener with big dreams of winning the $100,000 grand prize, a recording contract with Universal Music Group and the chance to work with the best in music. It was a premiere that featured signature four-chair turns, dramatic coaches’ blocks and even a duet between a coach and a young hopeful.

With Stefani returning for her eighth season as coach and McEntire — who won season 25 with singer Asher HaVon — looking for her second straight win, Vote Beginners Snoop Dogg and Bublé had a lot to live up to. But as the first few Vote As the contestants split up and chose to be on Team Snoop and Team Bublé, it became clear that Stefani and McEntire were facing two formidable opponents.

“We might be the rookies, but you know what, we’re learning pretty fast,” Bublé told Snoop during the episode after they secured some of Stefani and McEntire’s coveted singers. The rapper agreed, confidently declaring, “We might be the rookies of the year!”

If The Voice Season 26 is here. Here’s who’s joining Team Reba, Team Gwen, Team Snoop, and Team Bublé and how this new twist could change the game.

Introducing the Coaches’ Replay

It’s amazing that it cost producers this long to introduce a new button into the game: the Coaches’ Replay. Likely a response to previous seasons in which coaches expressed regret for not flipping for a singer during the Blind Auditions, the added feature gives them the chance to do it again without repercussions.

Here’s how it works: The Coaches’ Replay allows coaches to press their button and turn their chair around after the Blind Audition is over. It’s an option that can only be used once by each coach, and if multiple coaches want the same singer on their team, the one who presses the button first wins.

The premiere saw the Coaches’ Replay in action for the first time. Kendall Eugene, a country singer with a heartbreaking backstory, performed a stunning cover of Morgan Wallen’s “Don’t Think Jesus.” Shockingly, none of the coaches turned around, prompting McEntire to question why she didn’t. In a previous season, this would have meant the end for Eugene. “I liked everything,” McEntire said in mild disbelief. “I don’t understand why I didn’t turn around.” Without dragging out the process any longer, she used her one Coaches’ Replay button on Eugene and welcomed him to Team Reba.

Fastest four-seat corner

There were several four-chair turns, but the fastest — sometimes a harbinger of future success on the show — lasted just seven seconds. The lucky recipient was Filipino singer Sofronio Vasquez, whose remarkable rendition of Mary J. Blige’s R&B ballad “I’m Goin’ Down” captivated the four coaches.

They all praised his soulful voice, with Stefani even calling it a “Grammy performance” and Bublé, who had been in contact with Vasquez from the Philippines, became visibly emotional. After much posing from the coaches, Vasquez chose Team Bublé.

The celebrity effect

One of the contestants, Jan Dan, grew up with ties to the music industry. His mother, Fundisha, was an R&B singer who was once signed to Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Records and was featured on Bow Wow’s “Basketball” in 2002. That musical exposure proved useful, as Dan’s cover of Brandy’s “Almost Doesn’t Count” made Stefani and Bublé turn their chairs.

He wasn’t an obvious choice for Stefani’s team, who explained that she approached season 26 by “thinking outside the box,” but her mini-coaching session with Dan turned the tide in her favor and he joined her team.

Most unique version

It’s not often that singers audition with non-English songs, because there’s a certain risk involved. But Kiara Vega blew the coaches away with a soul-stirring cover of Spanish singer Rocío Dúrcal’s “Amor Eterno,” a song beloved by her family. Even more impressive was the fact that it was her first time performing with each phase.

Bublé quickly took a shine to Vega — “an instant turn-on for me,” he told her — and even spoke to her in Spanish in an attempt to connect with her (and gain an edge). It worked, and she became the newest member of Team Bublé.

Who we want on our team

This might be an obvious choice, but there’s a reason Sydney Sterlace was eliminated The Voice premiere. The 15-year-old high schooler was so amazing during her 90-second performance of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” that the coaches were stunned when she revealed her age.

Sterlace sounded just like Rodrigo (close your eyes and you’d think you were listening to her record) and was easily one of the strongest performers. Now it was a matter of “how can we make your singing style more compatible with Sydney,” Stefani advised. That advice, and the fact that she was the best coach, landed Sterlace on Team Gwen, giving the No Doubt singer a big head start.

An honorable mention goes to Jake Tankersley, the Oklahoma country singer who sang Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” and somehow made it his own. He chose to go with Team Snoop, who proved he really could The Voice‘s wildcard this season.

Quote of the night

“I’ve wanted to know what Snoop Dogg tastes like most of my life,” said Michael Bublé as he ate a bag of Snoop Dogg potato chips

A look ahead to next week

It’s part 2 of the Blind Auditions. Now that McEntire is exercising her Coaches’ Replay power, will the other three coaches find themselves in a similar situation next week? It’s still early days The Voiceso anything goes. But the coaches are already putting together interesting teams with unexpected genres and music styles. So come along for the ride as we go The Voice travel.

The VoiceBlind auditions of ‘s continue Monday, September 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.