Allred, Cundari, Wahl heading to 2026 Gila Idol Finals

SAFFORD — Three stood out in a night filled with finals-worthy talent.

The judges selected Maya Allred, Madeline Cundari and Brenden Wahl to advance to the 2026 Gila Idol finals during Thursday’s preliminary at the Manor 415 Event Center.

Allred sang “Feeling Good” for her first ever appearance at an Idol preliminary.

“They keep telling me to do songs that make me happy, so I might have to start thinking about songs than I normally would,” Allred said.

Wahl, who sang “Should Have Been a Cowboy,” has been a top-three finisher in the finals the previous two years. He said he’s ready for this year’s finals.

“I’m going to pick a powerhouse song. I already have it picked out; everyone will see,” Wahl said.

Cundari performed the song “Love Like This,” a song she selected the previous day.

“It was down to a last minute thing; I feel like I’m always like that,” Cundari said. “I always pick and choose right at the last minute and say, ‘Hey, I need to make a decision,’ and then I picked that one.”

All three will perform at the Gila Idol Finals on March 26 at the David M. Player Center for the Arts.

Two others will have a chance to make the finals, after the judges selected them to take part in call-back night March 12. They are Lacy Bryce, who sang “Love the Way You Lie,” and Chaleese Rojas, who sang “The House that Built Me.”

The judges also selected one alternate, MaKayla Wells, who sang “In the Arms of the Angel.” An alternate will be selected at each preliminary and, in the week before the finals, the public will vote on the performances on GilaValleyCentral.net. The top vote-getter will become a finalist.

Judges were 2018 Gila Idol winner Pete McCormick, 2008 winner Adam Crohn and 2017 winner Darryn Kamae, who opened the evening with a performance of “Message in a Bottle.” Also performing were the Thatcher High School Quartets.

All of Thursday’s performances can be viewed on the Gila Idol 2026 page at Gila Valley Central.

The next preliminary will take place Thursday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. at OneAZ Credit Union in Safford. Admission is free.

Sponsors for 2026 Gila Idol include Valley Telecom Group; Richard’s Music Co.; Trophies ‘N Tees; Freeport-McMoRan; Valley Furniture and Appliance; the Graham County Chamber of Commerce; OneAZ Credit Union; The Venue and Vignette on Main; Keyhole Properties; Pepsi; Tyson Richins-Edward Jones Investments; Apache Gold Casino; Mack’s Napa Auto Parts; Valley Vision; and the Double R Communications family of radio stations, Kat Kountry 94.5 FM, Sunny 102.3 FM and KATO 1230 AM.

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