They're not idols, but they're still great

Ben Brown - "Come Fly With Me" (Audio MP3)

Mundelein's Ben Brown hoped his rendition of "Try a Little Tenderness" could win the hearts of "American Idol" judges at a audition this week in Miami.

"I won a competition over the summer with that song," Brown, 18, said. "It's a really, really nice piece (that) shows off my voice."

Brown was one of four seasonal employees at the Six Flags Great America theme park in Gurnee who won all-expenses-paid trips to the tryouts. Unfortunately, none made it past the first round.

Brown isn't bitter about the experience, however.

"I got a free trip to Miami," said Brown, who graduated from Mundelein High School in May.

In addition to Brown, the other Great America employees who competed in the "Idol" auditions were Alison Rurl of Elmhurst, Chance Phebus of downstate Mount Zion and Sophia Araoz of Loves Park, near Rockford.

The park sponsored the four contestants and paid their expenses for the four-day trip.

Organizers of the Six Flags contest hatched the idea to challenge snarky "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell's negative comments about theme-park musical shows, Six Flags spokeswoman Brooke Gabbert said.

"We wanted to show him the incredible talent that our performers have," Gabbert said.

Fifteen Great America employees competed in the local event July 24, but only Brown, Araoz, Rurl and Phebus were sent to Miami.

Brown, 18, works in the park's wardrobe department, Gabbert said. Phebus and Rurl, both 20, perform in a show. Araoz, 17, is a character performer.

The foursome competed against thousands of other "Idol" hopefuls at the American Airlines Arena, home to the NBA's Miami Heat.

Auditions also were held in San Diego, Dallas, Omaha, Atlanta and Charleston. The final auditions are Monday in Philadelphia.

Brown said he wanted to show everybody what he could do onstage.

"I really wanted to get out there and perform," he said.

Fresh from the audition, Brown now is headed to Millikin University in Decatur to study music education.

He's disappointed he wasn't chosen for "Idol" but understands the show's producers probably wanted some characters who'd make for good television viewing.

Even though Brown and his co-workers didn't advance to the next level of auditions, Great America's Gabbert called the foursome incredible performers.

"We're just proud that they were brave enough to go face the 'American Idol' judges," she said.

The seventh season of "American Idol" premieres in January on the Fox TV network.