The Mystery at Tin Flat

A free vacation lands the Washington family in Tin Flat - a ghost town with cobwebs, a mouse, a piano that plays itself, and a car that won't start. Soon they're on the trail of Gold Toe Jake, a hanged man whose golden boots are said to point toward justice - and toward the bank's long-lost gold. Then a jail door slams shut, trapping everyone but Xavier, who goes for help and finds a hidden television crew instead. The whole trip is a stunt for his favorite reality show, and the producers offer him a thousand dollars to stay quiet while his frightened family hunts for the treasure. But from the control room, Xavier hears what the cameras never meant to catch: Ed, Elaine, and Marvin saying just how much they want him in the family. He grabs the key and sets them free, choosing his family over the money... and when the show finally airs, the Washingtons learn they found the gold and won the cruise anyway.

Found on Out of Control Album 40 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0514 Room Enough for Two When Liz's beloved older brother returns from the Army with a surprise fiancée in tow, she sets out to protect her place in his life - until a crisis forces the two women who love him most to face what they have in common.

0515 B-TV: Behind the Scenes A behind-the-scenes look at a live TV broadcast about unity that threatens to fall apart because the crew can't stop fighting long enough to save their own struggling station.

0516 Bassett Hounds A grieving-support trip to Alaska turns out to be something else entirely, as Bernard discovers Wooton's family is far more - and far wealthier - than he ever imagined.

0517 It's All About Me When Connie casts Mitch as the host of a Kids' Radio advice show, the credit for its success lands in exactly the wrong place - while a mysterious "Prank Man" turns the school upside down.

0518 The Case of the Disappearing Hortons When a classmate's family vanishes overnight, a pair of kids and two elderly ex-magicians launch an investigation that leads somewhere none of them expected.

0519 The Defining Moment After a costly error in right field, a young ballplayer chases the perfect comeback moment - only to learn that redemption rarely looks the way we imagine it.

0520 The Mystery at Tin Flat A family's free getaway to a historic ghost town turns into a night of century-old secrets, pointing boots, and a mystery that tests where one boy truly belongs.

0521 Hindsight When Whit's new backward-running Room of Consequence shows Liz a frightening possible future, she must travel in reverse through time to uncover the single small choice that set it all in motion.

0522 All Things to All People An overeager teen's foolproof formula for winning converts turns every conversation into a comedy of errors, forcing Aubrey to question whether faith can be shared by following a script.

1 of 3 0523 Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? While a major life decision looms for Mitch and Connie, Whit is pulled into a baffling case of stolen identity that hits closer to home than anyone expects.

2 of 3 0524 Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? With his name off the case but his friend's name on the line, a determined young investigator keeps digging into a fraud scheme - while the biggest question of his life waits for an answer.

3 of 3 0525 Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? With a mysterious warning telling him to stop investigating, Mitch must decide whether solving the warehouse fraud is worth the risk - while Connie weighs an answer that could change both their lives.

0526 Seeing Red When pride threatens three very different relationships in Odyssey, everyone insists the other person should apologize first.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 3 more roles

3 supporting roles

Jake Solomon Matt Hurwitz Joseph Stadler Charles Howerton Wes Tucker Matt Hurwitz

Made by

Chris Anthony Host John Fornof Writer Bob Hoose Director · Producer Allen Hurley Sound Designer · Producer Marshal Younger Producer Paul McCusker Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 4 min

The Washington family receives a letter announcing an all-expenses-paid vacation in the historic town of Tin Flat. The offer appears legitimate and includes vouchers for lodging and fuel. Ed, Elaine, Marvin, and Tamika eagerly prepare for a night away, but Xavier wants to remain home for the season finale of his favorite reality program, The Challenge. Ed insists that time with the family matters more than television.

Tin Flat turns out to be an abandoned town. The old hotel contains dusty furniture, an upright piano, cobwebs, and a very real mouse, but no employees or guests. Because the family has spent no money and even received free gasoline, Ed cannot understand the purpose of the supposed scam. They decide to leave, only to find that their vehicle will not start and their telephone has no signal. With the nearest town ten miles away, they must remain overnight.

Near the hotel, Tamika finds cowboy boots with golden toes. A brochure tells the legend of Gold Toe Jake Solomon, who was convicted and executed for stealing the Tin Flat bank’s gold in 1869. Jake claimed innocence and promised that his spirit would not rest until justice was found. The sheriff died the following week, the gold was never recovered, and the town soon collapsed. According to the legend, Jake’s boots occasionally appear and point toward justice.

The boots point toward the abandoned Tin Flat Gazette. There the family finds an old article explaining that Jake had been the newspaper’s editor and conducted his own investigation before the sheriff accused him. His final words declare that justice will be found in the upright. When the hotel piano begins playing by itself, Ed discovers that it is a mechanical player piano and wonders whether Jake meant that kind of upright.

A message written on the piano roll records Jake’s unfinished investigation. He suspected Sheriff Mason of stealing the gold and hid the note after Mason threatened his wife and daughter. Jake hoped to find the treasure and prove the sheriff’s guilt, but if he failed, he asked whoever found the message to continue pursuing justice.

The Washingtons search the sheriff’s office, reasoning that its largest locked object is the jail itself. The cell door suddenly closes and traps Ed, Elaine, Marvin, and Tamika. Xavier has already left for the vehicle, so Ed calls him back and sends him through the town to find a tool or key that can free them.

Xavier follows a cable behind an old locksmith shop and discovers a hidden television crew. Producer Joseph Stadler and director Wes Tucker reveal that the Washingtons are contestants on The Challenge. The free trip, deserted town, mouse, self-playing piano, stranded vehicle, mysterious noises, and locking jail door have all been arranged and filmed. The crew even removed the vehicle’s spark plugs.

The production has hidden gold coins behind the jail bed. If the family finds them before six in the morning, it will win a cruise to the Bahamas. If Xavier uses the key to free them or explains the trick, filming ends and the prize is lost. Stadler offers Xavier a thousand dollars to remain with the crew and let his relatives struggle until they discover the treasure.

Watching from the control room feels very different from enjoying the program at home. Xavier realizes that the wolves and galloping horses frightening his family are merely effects controlled by people who treat their fear as entertainment. He also hears Ed explain why Xavier has been unhappy. Xavier’s mother cannot yet take him home, and he feels like an obligation Ed accepted only because he promised his dying younger brother - Xavier’s father - to care for him.

Elaine rejects that idea. Xavier belongs to the family as fully as any of the other children, and Marvin wishes they could adopt him so he would never have to leave. When the crew prepares another frightening trick, Xavier refuses to trust them any longer. He takes the jail key and chooses his family over the cash prize and promised cruise.

Xavier releases everyone and reveals the production. The Washingtons later watch the finished program together and see how his decision became the surprise ending. They also see what happened after the rescue: Marvin had broken the jail bed while frightened, exposing a small hidden door. Once Xavier shone the flashlight toward it, the family found the gold within the deadline.

Because Xavier rescued them before knowing they would still succeed, his choice costs him nothing in the end. The Washingtons win the Bahamas cruise after all. More importantly, Xavier has heard exactly where he stands: he is not a temporary burden or an outsider but a wanted member of the family he chooses to protect.