Hot Bench season 9 judges, Patricia DiMango and Tanya Acker, will be replaced as they are set to feature in a new Amazon court show.
Hot Bench is the hit court show that premiered in 2014. Following its eighth season, the show was considered the number one syndicated court show in an original production as it averaged almost two million viewers.
Since the inception of the series, judges Patricia DiMango and Tanya Acker, have been part of its judging panel. But before the premiere of season nine, it was confirmed that they were set to be replaced.
This is as the judges are going to front yet another Judge Judy Sheindlin executive produced show for Amazon Freevee, titled Tribunal.
Why is Hot Bench so special?
Court shows have been one of the most popular television sub-genres in reality television since the late 1990s, with shows like Judge Judy, which premiered in 1996.
However, most of these syndicated court shows were usually anchored by one judge who would preside over the real-life court cases that were featured on their show.
Hot Bench is an original take on the court show format as it features three judges who preside over real-life small claims cases, where they have to deliberate before giving their final verdict on the case.
Why did Hot Bench change judges?
For eight seasons, Hot Bench had Patricia DiMango and Tanya Acker as part of the panel of judges, with Judge Michael Corriero joining the panel in 2016.
Therefore, it came as a surprise when the trailer for the ninth season confirmed there would be a shake up in the judging panel.
The ninth season, which is set to premiere on Monday, 31 October 2022, will see Judge Yodit Tewolde and Judge Rachel Juarez replace DiMango and Acker.
It is believed that Hot Bench will follow the same format, as it will still see three judges presiding over court cases about which they will also need to deliberate before they reach the verdict.
As such, Tewolde and Juarez will join Corriero who will remain on Hot Bench when the new season of the show returns to our screens.
Judge Corriero has been a perfect addition to Hot Bench since he joined the cast six years ago in 2016 as he had served in the New York State Court for 28 years.
Moreover, he is considered to have been instrumental in the implementation of providing rehabilitation programs for young offenders.
Hot Bench on replacement judges, Tewolde and Juarez
Since Judge Yodit Tewolde and Judge Rachel Juarez will be replacing judges Patricia DiMango and Tanya Acker, the court show had to provide reasons why the incoming judges were ideal replacements.
As such, the executive producer of Hot Bench, David Theodosopoulos, released the official statement on the matter, sharing:
“Judges Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez bring an exciting new energy and a fresh, new dynamic to our series that viewers know and love. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences are a beautiful complement to Michael, and I’m thrilled to welcome these strong, accomplished women to the bench”.
What to know about Judge Yodit Tewolde
Judge Yodit Tewolde is no stranger to the reality court show format as she is credited with previously contributing to shows like America’s Most Wanted.
She is also a sought after legal analyst with hosting credits including The Grio’s Making the Case, and she also served as an anchor for Court TV.
All of this is because Tewolde is considered a well-renowned criminal defence attorney and the founder and managing attorney of her own criminal defence firm.
Moreover, she has experience as a former prosecutor and she is also touted as a journalist via her LinkedIn profile.
What to know about Judge Rachel Juarez
From the trailer of season nine which reveals that Judge Rachel Juarez is set to make her television debut as part of the bench in Hot Bench, Judge Juarez may be new to television, but it seems that she is no stranger to addressing matters head-on.
This is as Juarez was a litigator that handled a number of large corporate clients before co-founding her family law practice which specialises in representing high-income individuals in divorce and other family law matters.
Moreover, she went on to be appointed to serve as a Temporary Judge by the Los Angeles County Superior Court Temporary Judge Program.
