No one ever made losing look so good.

Season 26 of The Voice is off to the races! The Blind Auditions are over, and this season’s slate of talent is stronger than ever. The Coaches have spent the last week with their Teams, pairing them up for an on-stage, head-to-head sing-off in the Battles.

In the Battle phase, each Artist spends time with their Coach and their Battle partner, rehearsing their chosen song and finding the best possible performance. Then the paired Artists take to the stage for a dueling duet. Coaches are given the unenviable task of choosing between members of their own Team, sending one to the next phase of the competition and the other on their merry way. That is, of course, unless another Coach uses a Steal to add the runner up to their own Team.

 “This never gets old, Coaching. I just love sharing what I do and seeing if it helps impact them,” said Gwen Stefani during rehearsals. “Watching them grow right before your eyes, it’s such a great, rewarding feeling.”

The first night of Battles saw a sonic scuffle between Sydney Sterlace and Sloane Simon, both from Team Gwen.

The Voice Season 26 Team Gwen Coach Battle: Sloane Simon vs. Sydney Sterlace

Sloane Simon and Sydney Sterlace on The Voice Season 26 Episode 7. Photo: Casey Durkin/NBC

Stefani paired two teenage Artists against one another for the first Team Gwen Battle: 15-year-old Sterlace from Buffalo, New York versus 19-year-old Simon from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each had impressive Blind Auditions; Simon snatched turns from Stefani and competing Coach Michael Bublé, while Sterlace earned a coveted 4-Chair Turn. Leaning into the emotional volatility of youth, Stefani tasked them with performing “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish.

“You have to have a certain attitude, swag, personality to pull off this song,” Stefani said. “Sloane and Sydney, it’s really going to come down to who has the most flexibility, personality, and is ready right now to move on. These girls are really evenly matched, this is going to be one of the toughest decisions I have to make.”

The trick with the Battles is striking a balance between honoring the collaboration of a duet while still doing enough to make yourself stand out. Simon had the benefit of a few additional years’ experience, both in life and in performing, while Sterlace exhibited a sort of raw talent that made the Coaches’ ears perk up.

“That was really beautiful. You look like you’re pretty settled, structured, and confident,” Bublé told Simon. “With you, Sydney, I can feel a little bit of nervousness that maybe you’re not quite as settled, nor should you be. You’re 15.”

“I was thrilled with the performance. You girls sounded like true professionals,” said Snoop Dogg. “Do not let age dictate what you can possibly be, because we were all young once upon a time. I’m glad I don’t have to make the decision because I don’t know who I would pick. You sound equal to me, it felt like it was one voice. My advice would be to pick who you can grow with.”

Sydney Sterlace performs onstage during The Voice, Season 26 Episode 1. Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC

“You girls have so much strong presence on stage, you both sound great, you look confident. I love both of you, but I would go with Sloan,” Reba McEntire said. “Sydney, I think you’ve got more years to develop, you’re going to blossom like the most beautiful rose ever, and I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do.”

Without much guidance from her fellow Coaches, Stefani was left to make the decision on her own. “During rehearsals, Sydney, I started to feel your age a little bit, but it’s more like stage presence, more than your vocals, trying to be relaxed enough to just go for it. You have come so far since our rehearsals, I’m shocked. What Reba said is right,” Stefani said. “Sloane, you’re a little bit more ready, you have that star quality personality.”

Then Stefani broke for a bit of personal prayer, looking for guidance from anywhere she could get it. Snoop, meanwhile, joined in on the prayer, asking his own higher power to help Gwen make the wrong decision so he could swoop in and Steal. The winner, whether determined by Stefani or from on high, was Sydney Sterlace.

“I had to go with Sydney. The fact that she’s 15 and she can take care of the lyrics and she’s so dynamic, when she’s on it’s amazing, and she really did grow from rehearsals,” Stefani said.

In the meantime, Sloane Simon became available to Steal, and the Coaches didn’t waste any time. Bublé, McEntire, and Snoop all hit their Steal buttons in quick succession. All at once, Simon went from possibly leaving the show to being the belle of the ball, with her choice of Coaches.

After losing out on Simon during the Blinds, Bublé made his case for why she should join up with him this time; it must have been compelling because Simon agreed. “Sloane has a great voice, angelic, sweet tone, great pitch, great control,” Bublé said. “People are going to really love her, she’s a pop star in the making.”

Where can you watch The Voice?

Catch new episodes of The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC. Every episode also arrives on Peacock the next day, so if you missed it the night before, you can always catch up.