Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland share many marquee name talents first discovered as winners of local competitions as well as often an additional publicity catapult for casting on a TV reality show with finalist status.
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In 2006, Stellar Road, a band from Orland Park, won the “Have a Nice Gig” competition sponsored by Saturn and General Motors to open for Bon Jovi and Nickelback at Soldier Field for their July 21 concert. Then in 2010, Des Plaines band 7th Heaven won a similar local talent contest titled “Bon Jovi Wanted: A SuperBAND Tonight” and was selected from more than 600 bands, earning the top prize to be the opening act for Bon Jovi at the July 30, 2010, concert at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
Stand-up comic Ryan Niemiller of DeMotte and a 2000 graduate of Kankakee Valley High School was 36 when he auditioned and was selected to compete in Season 14 of “America’s Got Talent” in 2019 and finished in third place.
At age 24, Amy Davis, a 2000 graduate of Lowell High School and one of the six children of Barry and Jeanette Davis of Cedar Lake, captured the attention of hard-to-please judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell in 2008 for Season 7 of “American Idol” with her audition performance of “Blue Bayou,” the ballad written by the late Roy Orbison and made famous by Linda Ronstadt. As part of the coveted final 24 contestants selected from more than 100,000 hopefuls, TV viewers watched week after week until her elimination following her performance of Connie Francis’ “Where the Boys Are.”
Mom Marci Crozier and daughter Courtney of Valparaiso were selected from thousands of entrants to compete against 10 other teams in 2011 in Season 4 of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” Marci’s starting weight was 238 pounds and Courtney originally weighed 323 pounds, and the two proved popular with ratings and viewers. Each lost nearly 100 pounds in just 14 weeks during the show run.
This summer’s hot new ticket for the fast-track to stardom is being hosted by Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino and Hotel in East Hazel Crest. The “Sing Your Way to $100K” already had its previous rounds of auditions and eliminations last month and is now down to its final round. All Northwest Indiana hopefuls are off the roster and only Chicago suburban talent remains for the live Grand Finale on Aug. 23 that promises to be one of the Southland’s most inspiring nights of the year.
Billed as “a launchpad for local voices to chase real dreams, on a real stage, for real money,” the winner will walk away with what could be a career-changing $100,000 as funds to be used to make record albums, book studio time and finally take the next leap into a music career.
In addition to the winner, five others will win prizes from $7,500 to $25,000.
The 12 finalists are Tremel Hoover of Lansing, Illinois, Jadon Smith of Homewood, Illinois, Marian Edwards of Matteson, Illinois, Arvell Grandberry of Harvey, Illinois, and Kennedy Rush of South Holland, along with Jason Warrior, Kristen Lowe, James Reed, Catherine Townsend, Ashley Dozier, Josyln Robinson and Vee Armstrong, all of Chicago.
The contest was open to solo vocalists age 21 and older and free to enter. At 7 p.m. Saturday on the “Radiant Gem Stage,” contestants will perform live before audiences and a panel of Chicago radio and media personalities, including WGCI’s Leon Rogers, Tone Kapone, Zach Boog, and Keke Hampton; KISS FM’s Paulina Roe; B96 and 104.3 Jams’ Moug; 104.3 Jams hosts Jen BT and Sean “Sonic” Leckie; Qué Buena’s Johnny “Perro” Orta; and Amor 106.7’s Vicky Aguilera.
“Chicago’s artistic legacy runs deep, from its music and theater to the everyday voices that shape its neighborhoods,” said Roger Kuehn, executive vice president and general manager of Wind Creek Chicago Southland.
“Sing Your Way to $100K is our way of honoring that spirit by giving local talent a stage and a moment to shine. As the newest resort in the region, we’re proud to build a home for entertainment that feels both elevated and rooted in the community we serve.”
For more information, visit singyourwaychicago.com or www.windcreek.com.
Wind Creek Hospitality is an authority of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the only federally recognized Indian Tribe in the state of Alabama. In addition to the East Hazel Crest gaming property, Wind Creek Hospitality manages the Tribe’s gaming facilities including Wind Creek Aruba, Wind Creek Atmore, Wind Creek Bethlehem, Wind Creek Curacao, Wind Creek Montgomery, Wind Creek Wetumpka, Casinoverse, Magic City Casino in Florida, as well as racetracks in Alabama and Florida.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and radio host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at [email protected]