It was impossible not to notice that I was the only Black person to successfully pass that auditionвЂ™s test.ДЄ week or so later, a FedEx envelope arrived with an invitation to compete in the upcoming college tournament. Among this sea of Northeasterners, I needed to stand out. I trounced my opponents and did a short-and-saucy interview. Minutes later, the game show crew organized mock games, with buzzers and all. The showвЂ™s scouts wouldnвЂ™t disclose how many correct answers were necessary to advance, so I waited in sweaty anticipation.ДЇinally, they shared the results. In a big, nondescript auditorium, rows of would-be competitors listened to a pep talk from Alex Trebek, and then we sat down with the paper test.

We headed to Philadelphia on a dreary spring day. When in-person tryouts were announced around the country (keep in mind, this is the infancy of the Internet), I booked plane tickets for me and my middle sister. I didnвЂ™t know it then, but my appearance on Jeopardy! would become a vehicle for my understanding the depth of American racism, the persistence of eugenics thinking, and our investment in the myth of meritocracy. She teased me about вЂњmy big brainвЂќ-a stray comment that would later seem weirdly prescient. My college suite mate, a young Trinidadian woman of Chinese and African descent, was bemused that I planned to skip classes-something I never did-for the opportunity. How many cute Black girls like me did they have on the show? I decided that the next year, when I was a 20-year-old junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, IвЂ™d find my way to the nearest tryout.

If I didnвЂ™t pass the 50-item, fill-in-the-blank test, at least weвЂ™d have time with Mickey Mouse and each other.Дespite passing the test, though, I didnвЂ™t make it. Many people, after feeling jilted about losing the host role that he so dearly coveted, might not feel as compelled to work as hard as they otherwise would (and I would say that I do not trust him not to sabotage the show itself.In 1994, when I heard my beloved game show Jeopardy! was searching for college contestants, I somehow convinced my parents to finance a family trip to Orlando, Florida, where weвЂ™d make a holiday of the audition and take a trip to Disney World. However, I am still very much worried about RichardsвЂ™ ability to continue in his role as Executive Producer. This came as direct result of Claire McNearвЂ™s excellent exposГ© over at The Ringer, in which excerpts from RichardsвЂ™ old podcast, The Randumb Show, resurfaced, in which Richards made remarks disparaging remarks regarding Jews, women & Asians.ДЄccording to my sources, one weeksвЂ™ worth of episodes have been taped at this point, and are scheduled to air September 13-17.Д®ditorially: Here at The Jeopardy! Fan, I am pleased that this partial step has been taken. In the meantime, we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next weekвЂќ. вЂњSPT will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host. As a result, we will be cancelling production today.вЂќ As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately. In a statement from Richards, вЂњit has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. Mike Richards is no longer the host of Jeopardy!, as has been announced this morning.

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