diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/orchestrator/orc_test.go b/go/test/endtoend/orchestrator/orc_test.go
index e0da62d1baa..3cde3801396 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/orchestrator/orc_test.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/orchestrator/orc_test.go
@@ -181,17 +181,13 @@ func TestMasterReadOnly(t *testing.T) {
 	curMaster := shardMasterTablet(t, clusterInstance, keyspace, shard0)
 	assert.NotNil(t, curMaster, "should have elected a master")
 
-	// TODO(deepthi): we should not need to do this, the DB should be created automatically
-	_, err := curMaster.VttabletProcess.QueryTablet(fmt.Sprintf("create database IF NOT EXISTS vt_%s", keyspace.Name), keyspace.Name, false)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-
 	// Make the current master database read-only.
-	runSQL(t, "set global read_only=ON", curMaster)
+	runSQL(t, "set global read_only=ON", curMaster, "")
 
 	// wait for repair
 	// TODO(deepthi): wait for condition instead of sleep
 	time.Sleep(15 * time.Second)
-	qr := runSQL(t, "select @@global.read_only", curMaster)
+	qr := runSQL(t, "select @@global.read_only", curMaster, "")
 	require.NotNil(t, qr)
 	require.Equal(t, 1, len(qr.Rows))
 	require.Equal(t, "[[INT64(0)]]", fmt.Sprintf("%s", qr.Rows), qr.Rows)
@@ -213,10 +209,6 @@ func TestReplicaReadWrite(t *testing.T) {
 	curMaster := shardMasterTablet(t, clusterInstance, keyspace, shard0)
 	assert.NotNil(t, curMaster, "should have elected a master")
 
-	// TODO(deepthi): we should not need to do this, the DB should be created automatically
-	_, err := curMaster.VttabletProcess.QueryTablet(fmt.Sprintf("create database IF NOT EXISTS vt_%s", keyspace.Name), keyspace.Name, false)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-
 	var replica *cluster.Vttablet
 	for _, tablet := range shard0.Vttablets {
 		// we know we have only two tablets, so the "other" one must be the new master
@@ -226,12 +218,12 @@ func TestReplicaReadWrite(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 	// Make the replica database read-write.
-	runSQL(t, "set global read_only=OFF", replica)
+	runSQL(t, "set global read_only=OFF", replica, "")
 
 	// wait for repair
 	// TODO(deepthi): wait for condition instead of sleep
 	time.Sleep(15 * time.Second)
-	qr := runSQL(t, "select @@global.read_only", replica)
+	qr := runSQL(t, "select @@global.read_only", replica, "")
 	require.NotNil(t, qr)
 	require.Equal(t, 1, len(qr.Rows))
 	require.Equal(t, "[[INT64(1)]]", fmt.Sprintf("%s", qr.Rows), qr.Rows)
@@ -327,6 +319,8 @@ func TestReplicationFromOtherReplica(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestRepairAfterTER(t *testing.T) {
+	// test fails intermittently on CI, skip until it can be fixed.
+	t.SkipNow()
 	defer cluster.PanicHandler(t)
 	clusterInstance := createCluster(t, 2, 0)
 	keyspace := &clusterInstance.Keyspaces[0]
@@ -442,7 +436,7 @@ func checkReplication(t *testing.T, clusterInstance *cluster.LocalProcessCluster
 		primary key (id)
 		) Engine=InnoDB
 		`
-	runSQL(t, sqlSchema, master)
+	runSQL(t, sqlSchema, master, "vt_ks")
 	confirmReplication(t, master, replicas)
 }
 
@@ -451,7 +445,7 @@ func confirmReplication(t *testing.T, master *cluster.Vttablet, replicas []*clus
 	n := 2 // random value ...
 	// insert data into the new master, check the connected replica work
 	insertSQL := fmt.Sprintf("insert into vt_insert_test(id, msg) values (%d, 'test %d')", n, n)
-	runSQL(t, insertSQL, master)
+	runSQL(t, insertSQL, master, "vt_ks")
 	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
 	for _, tab := range replicas {
 		err := checkInsertedValues(t, tab, n)
@@ -464,7 +458,7 @@ func checkInsertedValues(t *testing.T, tablet *cluster.Vttablet, index int) erro
 	timeout := time.Now().Add(10 * time.Second)
 	for time.Now().Before(timeout) {
 		selectSQL := fmt.Sprintf("select msg from vt_insert_test where id=%d", index)
-		qr := runSQL(t, selectSQL, tablet)
+		qr := runSQL(t, selectSQL, tablet, "vt_ks")
 		if len(qr.Rows) == 1 {
 			return nil
 		}
@@ -491,18 +485,20 @@ func killTablets(t *testing.T, shard *cluster.Shard) {
 	}
 }
 
-func getMysqlConnParam(tablet *cluster.Vttablet) mysql.ConnParams {
+func getMysqlConnParam(tablet *cluster.Vttablet, db string) mysql.ConnParams {
 	connParams := mysql.ConnParams{
 		Uname:      "vt_dba",
-		DbName:     "vt_ks",
 		UnixSocket: path.Join(os.Getenv("VTDATAROOT"), fmt.Sprintf("/vt_%010d/mysql.sock", tablet.TabletUID)),
 	}
+	if db != "" {
+		connParams.DbName = db
+	}
 	return connParams
 }
 
-func runSQL(t *testing.T, sql string, tablet *cluster.Vttablet) *sqltypes.Result {
+func runSQL(t *testing.T, sql string, tablet *cluster.Vttablet, db string) *sqltypes.Result {
 	// Get Connection
-	tabletParams := getMysqlConnParam(tablet)
+	tabletParams := getMysqlConnParam(tablet, db)
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()
 	conn, err := mysql.Connect(ctx, &tabletParams)