Louis Stevens, Shia LaBeouf is the easygoing younger son of the Stevens family, while Ren Stevens, Christy Carlson Romano is finishing junior high. Their parents, Donna Pescow and Tom Virtue, hope a sun-filled summer will give the family a chance to bond and create lasting memories. Donnie Stevens, Nick Spano, is on the cusp of college, and Beans—Bernard "Beans" Aranguren, Steven Anthony Lawrence—moves in while his parents are away, shaking up the household. Meanwhile, Ren’s heartbreak from Gill’s breakup leads her to take a babysitting gig that brings a spirited, energetic kid into the mix: Beans.
Miles McDermott, Tim Meadows, arrives with a seemingly official invitation to Mandelino, a South Pacific island, suggesting the Stevens family will become goodwill ambassadors. The trip begins with warm welcomes, but Louis accidentally destroys the island’s sacred palace, and the locals turn their backs on them. The group learns they are part of a reality TV setup called Family Fakeout, crafted by Miles after his exit from another hidden-camera show, Gotcha! To stir conflict and ratings, Miles amplifies tensions, splitting the family into two camps: Steve, Ren and Beans on one side, and Eileen, Donnie and Louis on the other. Ren grows close to Mootai, a local character played by Josh Keaton, who is instructed to romance her for the cameras.
Alan Twitty, [A.J. Trauth], Louis's classmate who tipped off the production, begins to feel guilt as he watches the Stevens endure the staged drama. Tawny Dean, [Margo Harshman], joins in with ideas to rescue them once she and Alan learn the true location is on Catalona Island. The pair race to find the family; Twitty even slips away by disguising himself as an actor to vanish from security, while Jason breaks character and almost reveals the truth, only to be intercepted by fellow actors. Miles has the troupe tell Ren that Louis told them about Mootai, which fuels Ren’s anger and thirst for revenge.
Late in the game, Lance LeBow, Dave Coulier, the Gotcha! host, arrives in a helicopter to escort Louis to safety. Twitty short-circuits the live feed; as technicians scramble to restore it, he and Tawny locate the Stevens and reveal everything. When the feed resumes, Ren confronts Louis on a cliff edge, threatening to harm him. Miles confesses the truth, and in a dramatic turn the family’s plan to expose the deception becomes clear: the prank is turned on Miles, effectively ending Family Fakeout and derailing his TV career. In the aftermath, Louis reassures Ren that he would never harm her, Jason apologizes to Ren for pretending, and the family returns home to Sacramento, where Ren and Jason begin a relationship, Donnie heads to college, Steve takes a new job, and Louis resumes his easygoing days with Tawny.
