Judge Judy’s yacht was built by Sterling Yachts back in 1985 making it one of the older luxury yachts out there owned by a celebrity. The exterior design was handled by Bannenberg & Rowell. Both the hull and superstructure are GRP or glass-reinforced plastic, which is also something you’ll rarely find in newer superyachts which usually go for steel, aluminum and in some cases composite superstructures. That said, some sources claim the superstructure is, in fact, aluminum.
The yacht underwent a refit in 2009 to upgrade much of the interior and technology on board and make it more modern overall.
There are some rumors that Judge Judy also sold this yacht and no longer owns it but it’s hard to confirm or deny that at this point because so many of the details surrounding yacht ownership are often kept secret and the subject to guessing and conjecture.
What’s the Name of Judge Judy’s Yacht?
Judge Judy is known for being a forceful and opinionated woman both on her syndicated TV show and in real life, so it’s not surprising she gave her yacht a powerful name as well. It’s known as the Triumphant Lady.
How Big is Judge Judy’s Yacht?
The Triumphant Lady is a good sized yacht coming in at 155′1″. Obviously that’s not the largest yacht on the seas but it’s still large enough that most would consider it a superyacht. The vessel also has a 26.5 foot beam and a 7.5 foot draft. The gross tonnage comes in at 532 GT.
How Much Did Judge Judy’s Yacht Cost?
Word is that Judy Judy paid $16 million for her yacht. That’s definitely pricey but nowhere near the most expensive yachts in the world. That said, Judge Judy is estimated to have a net worth in the neighborhood of $440 million, so she can certainly afford a yacht of this caliber.
How Does a New York Family Court Judge Afford a Yacht?
Judge Judy, born Judith Susan Blum, became a lawyer back in 1965. By 1972 she was working as a prosecutor in the New York family court system until then mayor Ed Koch appointed her to the criminal court in 1982. In just four more years she was promoted again to become a supervising judge in the family court system in Manhattan. This is where she started to come to prominence as a judge most people found to be a tough, no-nonsense sort of person.
Fast forward to the early 90s and her reputation had spread well beyond New York. A writer for the Los Angeles Times profiled her from the angle of her being tough but fair and trying to fix the court system for the good of everyday people. It struck a chord with readers and 60 Minutes went on to do a feature on her, bringing her in front of television audiences for the first time.
Within a year of her appearance on 60 Minutes she was approached about heading her own reality court TV show which she accepted. The Judge Judy series went on to become one of the most popular shows ever with Americans watching daytime TV across 25 seasons. In the early 2000s she was making $25 million per season. By 2005 that had increased to $45 million. Given that she only worked 52 days a year, she was making $900,000 every day she went to work. And that means she was more than able to afford a yacht, a private jet, and multiple homes in places like Newport, Rhode Island, Fort Lauderdale, New York and Los Angeles,
Can you Charter Judge Judy’s Yacht?
Believe it or not you can, in fact, charter Judge Judy’s yacht for use. This is not entirely uncommon since a large luxury yacht can have annual running costs that get up to $2 million to $4 million or even more. To help offset those costs owners will often make a yacht available for charter. Thus gives both tax breaks and allows the charter fees to go towards the year’s running costs.
Judge Judy’s Triumphant Lady can be chartered for $150,000 per week plus expenses. The cost doesn’t necessarily change based on the season like it would for many yachts but it might based on demand.
If the rumors that Judge Judy sold her yacht are true, then it was a charter firm that picked it up and now charters it under the same name. It was reported that she may have sold it for about $7 million, which is a considerable loss compared to the initial price she seems to have paid.
How Fast is The Triumphant Lady and What Engines Does it Have?
Judge Judy’s yacht is powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3512TA diesel engines that produce 1300 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 15 knots and a cruising speed of 13 knots. The vessel has a range of 4,000 nautical miles thanks to the 51,885 liter fuel tanks.
What’s the Interior of Judge Judy’s Yacht Like?
The interior design work on the yacht was handled by Cindy Mason and Jon Bannenberg. There is room on Judge Judy’s yacht for 10 guests to stay in 5 cabins. A total of 9 crew can also be accommodated. The guest cabins consist of one master suite along with four double cabins.
The interior features soft and welcoming colors with many rooms decked out in natural wood tones, cream, gray and gold accents. There are multiple dining and lounging spaces as well as plenty of room on deck for lounging and hanging out as well.
In what qualifies as an oddly funny or maybe even ironic fact about the yacht, there is extremely limited information about any kind of standout amenities or luxury features. Given Judge Judy’s reputation for being overly harsh and serious, it’s funny to see that even her yacht seems to be overly serious. As an example, if you head to one of the website’s where you can book it for a charter the only thing listed as an amenity is air conditioning. This would normally be where things like a deck Jacuzzi, a pool, access to jet skis and so on would be listed.
Don’t be fooled, however. A little digging and you can discover that Judge Judy does, in fact, have some luxury features on board that she and guests can enjoy.
Features and Amenities on the Judge Judy Yacht
As we said, details can be scant on what’s on board the vessel but they’re not entirely hidden. Though Judge Judy herself tends to be fairly private, the yacht is a charter so they do have to share some reasons why people might actually want to spend money renting the vessel. To that end, here are some of the features you can find on board.
- One of the most notable features available is a glass-bottom spa pool
- To the forward part of the vessel there is a sun deck with gym access. The gym deck can be accessed via an elevator. The gym features a resistance training machine, cardio machine, free weights, exercise balls, bands and more.
- A unique design aspect not likely to be found on other yachts is the 3 story atrium with spiral staircase topped by etched glass.
- Built-in sunpads to porn and starboard of the bridge
- The main salon features a lounge area for guests, a bar, and a karaoke machine.
- Towards the main aft deck you’ll find yacht tender and waverunner storage. This is where you’ll also find something of a beach club with access to a swim platform. It’s also fitted with hydraulic passerelle and barbecue
Toys
No word on how often Judy herself likes to get out on the water and play with the water toys but the yacht does have a tender garage with some items for those charter guests who like to have fun. Some of the toys available include:
- A 6.4 m (21´) Nautica tender fitted with 225 hp engines
- A 9.75 m (32´) Century FIN cabin with twin 250 hp engines outfitted for fishing/diving and more swift adventures on the water
- A pair of 2-person waverunners
- A pair of 2-person kayaks
- A large variety of towable toys that includes boards, water skis,tubes and so on.
- Full snorkel gear
- A large selection of fishing gear
The Bottom Line
The Judge Judy yacht is known as the Triumphant Lady. It was built back in 1985 but had a refit in 2009 to give it an update. The yacht is believed to have cost around $16 million. It can be chartered for the week for a cost of about $150,000 plus expenses.
The yacht is just over 155 feet in length and it can reach a top speed of 15 knots though it cruises at around 13 knots. There is room on board to accommodate 10 guests at a time across 5 cabins, and 9 crew members at the same time.
The yacht features a variety of features and toys to help guests relax and have fun including a glass bottom pool, a variety of water toys like waverunners and water skis, and a number of sun pads and other relaxing areas to lay out on deck.
FAQs
How much do you get paid on Judge Judy? ›
How Much Do Guests Make On Judge Judy? Earnings from Judge Judy apparently varied widely throughout its seasons, and it seems no exact figures have ever been released. However, Distractify reported that various litigants provided earnings information, saying they received anywhere from $100 to $500.
Is Judge Judy show real? ›Judge Judy is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudicated real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated courtroom set.
What is the documentary on Judge Judy? ›Life of the outspoken jurist Judith Blum Sheindlin ("Judge Judy").
What happened to Judge Judy? ›Judy Sheindlin has been one of the highest-paid people in TV for years, churning out episode after episode of Judge Judy. But after years of syndication, Sheindlin has shut down the CBS show and moved over to streaming service IMDB TV to make the almost identical new show, Judy Justice.
Who pays when you go on Judge Judy? ›On Judge Judy, both sides are offered appearance fees, a daily wage and travel expenses for the duration of the taping. Once a decision is made, producers pay it to the victorious party.
Is Judge Judy's partner a female? › Has Judge Judy ever been sued? ›Lawsuits. In March 2013, a lawsuit was filed against Sheindlin by Patrice Jones, the estranged wife of Randy Douthit (executive producer of Sheindlin's Judge Judy and later Judy Justice court shows).
Does Judge Judy have a law degree? ›Born in Brooklyn, Judge Sheindlin attended college at the School of Government at American University in Washington D.C. After graduating she attended New York Law School, where she received her degree.
Do judge shows use actors? ›Court shows present content mainly in the form of legal hearings between plaintiffs (or claimants in the United Kingdom) and defendants presided over by a judge, often in one of two formats: a scripted/improvised format performed by an actor; or an arbitration-based reality format with the case handled by an ...
How do you get on Judge Judy? ›Submit Your Case - Judge Judy. If you have a case you'd like Judge Judy to hear - fill out this form and a representative from the show will contact you if additional information is required. All lines with an asterisk * must be filled out or we cannot accept your submission.
Is Judge Judy on Netflix or Hulu? ›
With Hulu + Live TV, you'll get access to Hulu's entire library but also more than 85 streaming channels, including local ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and The CW stations. Hulu + Live TV is a great way to watch Judge Judy slam her gavel inside her courtroom.
How did Judge Judy get on TV? ›In 1986 Sheindlin was promoted to supervising judge in the family court's Manhattan branch, a position she held for 10 years. Her blunt manner won her favourable attention, and in 1993 she was featured on the TV newsmagazine show 60 Minutes.
Why was Judge Judy removed? ›At the time, Sheindlin, 78, said the network pulled the plug as bosses felt they had enough episodes to warrant simply repeating the show. However, in a tell-all interview, Sheindlin has now suggested it was her decision to leave due to rising tensions with CBS.
Why do they have to leave the papers on Judge Judy? ›The participants' travel expenses are paid by the show, as are the monetary settlements. The papers that can't be removed could be anything: their contracts for the show, the settlement agreements, NDAs, etc. The fact that they can't take the paperwork is outlined in the contracts they sign to be on the show.
Is Judge Judy ever going to retire? ›Judge Judy talks 'PC police' and why she's not planning to retire anytime soon. Sheindlin opened up her plans to keep working on television after ending a 25-year run on "Judge Judy." Judith Sheindlin has concluded a 25-year daytime run as "Judge Judy," but her fiery opinions aren't going anywhere.
How much does Judge Judy's bailiff make per episode? ›This level of filming is able to produce about 260 episodes each season, which air on over 200 stations in the United States. Although the salary numbers seem high, Bailiff Byrd earns about $4,000 per episode. Do Judge Judy's cases get paid?
Do court shows pay the judgments? ›Both parties to cases on reality TV judge shows sign binding arbitration contracts with the show to agree to the decision. In addition, the show pays both sides of any findings—the “winner” gets the money, and the loser's costs are paid by the show. Travel expenses for both parties, and witnesses, are paid by the show.