Jeopardy!has been making headlines like crazy these last few weeks, and for once in a blue moon, it seems like the phrase “any press is good press” has been disproven.

According to seasoned pro Arthur Chu, who went viral after his “frenetic” clue selection style annoyed viewers, the show is failing to keep late host Alex Trebek‘s most important advice in mind.

The Jeopardy! champ, who was labeled a villain when he soared through an 11-game stint in 2014, recently penned a column for The Washington Postattempting to explain “what broke” the show — and the answer is in Trebek’s words.

“At my tapings, Trebek told us that if he were ever to retire, his one piece of advice to his successor would be, ‘Stay out of the way, and let the contestants be the stars,’” Chu wrote. “When Trebek died of pancreatic cancer in November of last year, most fans expected for a replacement already to have been named and, after a bit of welcoming fanfare, for the show to return to normal as soon as possible.”

But that wasn’t the case. After Trebek passed away, the hosts became the most important news of the show, with new guest hosts like Aaron Rodgers, LeVar Burton, and Ken Jennings subbing in weekly to have a screen test for the potential permanent gig. Chu says this technique “trampled” over Trebek’s ideology behind hosting.

“The hunt for the new host became a public circus of “on-the-job tryouts” featuring a glamorous roster of A-listers, and the star of the show became the week’s celebrity guest host,” Chu continued. “Each episode, their followers tuned in to root for them, not the actual contestants.”

Chu writes that the noise surrounding the new host has become deafening, loud enough to drown out any stories surrounding the actual contestants of the show. Mentioning current champ Matt Amodio, the former contestant tore into the fact that Jeopardy! is sidelining the real stars.

“Anyone who’s good enough at trivia, even a schlubby nerd from Ohio, could get their turn to write the story of the show,” Chu wrote. “During my streak, there was no question I was the main character, even if it was as the ‘villain.’ Today, Matt Amodio is an 18-day champion and the third-winningest regular-season contestant in Jeopardy! history, but his story has taken a backseat to the drama on the host’s side of the stage.”

The former contestant also addressed the two elephants in the room: the new (ex-)permanent hosts, Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik, who have both gone under fire for their past comments and actions. Richards was announced as the main host of the syndicated show earlier this month, but later stepped down when former allegations of discrimination and harassment, as well as controversial comments about women, Jewish people, and the disabled community came to light. Bialik, who is subbing in for Richards for three weeks of Jeopardy!‘s 38th season and will take over the show’s specials, has also faced backlash for her opinions about vaccination, Weinstein’s victims, and more.

Chu’s advice? Axe all of this host talk and hone in on the contestants again.

“There can still be a place for Jeopardy!, so long as it centers on the contestants again, and on its own reliability,” Chu concludes. “It just needs some help getting back there. So let me pass on what one child said to me back when I was playing the villain, a message that might be useful to Richards, or to interloping celebrities, or to anyone else who would steal the spotlight or shake up the show: ‘Why can’t you just do something else, and leave Jeopardy! alone?’”