A Dorchester family will be featured as one of two families on CBS’s new reality television show, “The Briefcase” — which airs tonight at 8 p.m. The prime-time show tracks two middle-class families who are each unexpectedly granted a briefcase filled with $101,000 and must decide in three days whether to keep all of the money or share part or all of it with the other family.

Tanya and Leila Bailey-Stewart —and their nephews Milton and Jaden— initially thought that they were being filmed as part of a documentary series. The delivery of the eponymous briefcase came as a surprise, a turn that is part of the show’s concept.

“We thought it was a documentary series that was exploring different American families and their financial difficulties in trying to achieve the American dream,” said Tanya, 32. She and Leila, 35, took in Leila’s nephews Milton, 14, and Jaden, 9, three years ago. Both Tanya and Leila have worked at City Year, an education non-profit, for the past 12 years.

For the Bailey-Stewarts, the show was an opportunity to explore their values as a family, and hope that other families across the country will be able to connect with their experiences on the show.

“We are proud of how we handled the experience as a family,” said Leila. “It was a chance to look at ourselves as a family and allowed us to talk about our values and look at opportunities to affirm them. At our core, we consider ourselves an American family, raising two young boys in a challenging environment, and we hope people can connect with us as a loving family.”

View a sneak peek at tonight's episode here.
-Charlie Dorf