Hot Bench is the hottest daytime court show around, and the hit series is getting two brand-new judges this season. Joining beloved Judge Michael Corriero in Hot Bench Season 9 are Judges Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez. Recently, PopCulture.com had a chance to speak with judges and they shared with us how they approach deliberation, the educational dynamics of Hot Bench, and teased an upcoming episode in which a dating app relationship went terribly awry.ย
Discussing what led her to join Hot Bench, Judge Tewolde told us “it was a no-brainer” and “an immediate yes.” She continued, “I think it’s just, for me at least, the culmination of all the years I’ve spent inside of a courtroom, to be able to sit here now in a robe and apply all the things that I’ve learned as a prosecutor, former criminal defense attorney, and a lot of my media work, to just be able to sit here with my two colleagues in a black robe and resolve issues for people is a dream, and to educate, not just the litigants, but the viewers is the cherry on top for me, so.”
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Judge Juarez added, “I was really drawn to the educational aspect. I mean, the cases we get are problems that people deal with every day; their landlord, their neighbor, borrowing money from mom. And so people kind of get a view into these crazy disputes, but they also get to see the law behind it, and they get a peek into the judicial process. Because there are three of us, and of course, what sets us apart is that the viewers get to watch us deliberate, analyze the facts, analyze the law, so they see why a decision is being made, instead of just seeing one be made. And it was an easy yes on my end.”
When it comes to deliberation, the show’s tribunal of judges is certainly different than other court shows where only one judge presides over the cases. “I usually start off the discussions and deliberations with, I’m going to put my chin out and let it all out for you and expect the punch back or whatever, but figuratively, not literally, Judge Corriero shared of how the Hot Bench judges approach case decisions. “And I think, to me, having these two legal minds with me is so reassuring and so relaxing in the sense that, ‘Well, this is the way I think and this is my reasoning. How do you feel about it?’ And knowing either they agree and that makes me feel good, but if they disagree, they explain it in such a way that…”
Judge Corriero then reflected, “I’ve learned over time that the best way to communicate with people is to try and extract your ego from the conversation as much as possible. And it seems that the older I get, the better I’m at it, because if you had seen me at 40 years old or 45, you forget about it. There was this passionate advocate who took no prisoners, but that’s kind of waned over the years, I hope. I try to control it. But I think it’s the give and take, in a humorous way, in a trustful way, that brings it all together for us.”
Finally, we asked Judge Juarez if she’s encountered any especially interesting cases during filming for Hot Bench, and she joked that she is “surprised every day here.” Judge Juarez then went on to tease a case that is sure to have viewers talking, “One in particular that America’s going to see on Tuesday… the day after Halloween, involves a story that we hear somewhat often on Hot Bench, which is… ‘we met on a dating app and then we moved in together.’ And it’s not a surprise that so many of those stories, ultimately, end up here.
She continued, “This was two gentlemen, one moved across the country to live with the other one. The relationship started out pretty rocky, but they thought that a cruise might solve their problems. So I’ll save all of the juiciest tidbits for Tuesday, November 1st. But the allegations involve fraud at the cruise casino, and in particular, one man accusing the other of having him locked up at the bottom of the cruise ship so that he could see what other men he might be able to meet on the cruise. So stay tuned for that one, it is a doozie.” New episodes of Hot Bench kick-off Oct. 31. Check your local listings for time and channel.
