The second half of Outer Banks Season 4 was released last week and it’s going viral on the Internet. Social media is abuzz with discussion about the finale’s controversial plot twist and the feud said to be going on between two of the show’s stars.

To Begin: an Outer Banks Summary

Outer Banks is a hit Netflix adventure-mystery show. It follows a group of teenagers whose desire for fun and adventure sees them embarking on multiple treasure-hunting journeys.

Upon its release, the show became an instant success. All four of its seasons have made Netflix’s global top 10 weekly list. It’s garnered mostly positive reviews from critics who praise its strong sense of adventure and ability to capture the classic summer feeling.

Season 4 saw the teen explorers commissioned by an old man to seek a new treasure. Despite being pursued by perhaps their most dangerous enemies yet, the group agrees and heads to Morocco in pursuit of the invaluable Blue Crown.

It’s not unusual for seasons of the show to end with a bang―Season Two’s finale left the pogues stranded on an island―but Season Four’s twist was the most shocking yet: one of the show’s stars, JJ Maybank, is killed by his birth father, Groff.

Why is this Twist So Controversial?

After four seasons and multiple years spent with the characters, viewers have unsurprisingly become emotionally attached to the characters―particularly to JJ. Of all the pogues, it’s JJ who’s had the hardest life; his mother died when he was young and he was raised by an abusive and neglectful father. As such, many fans believed that of all the characters, it was JJ who most deserved a happy ending.

But that’s only one of the reasons. Another cause of fans’s upset is that they suspect the shocking twist is less for the sake of creating a compelling plot line and more because of the rumored feud going on between JJ’s actor, Rudy Pankow, and his on-screen love interest, Madison Bailey.

What is the Feud?

In the promo and interviews for the first few seasons of Outer Banks, Pankow, and Bailey were clearly close. Bailey had referred to Pankow as “the first person I’m gonna call out of everybody for, really, anything.” In interviews, they were frequently seen quipping and laughing with one another.

And yet, following season four, fans speculated that there was a distance between the two stars. Rumors of a feud were already simmering but were made worse by their lack of interaction in interviews, and the rumor that a body double was used for one of the few scenes where Pankow and Bailey had to be physically close.

Speculation about a feud first cropped up after a dinner the cast had in June 2023. Pankow’s partner, Elaine Siemek, and Bailey’s partner, Mariah Linney, also attended. After the dinner, Bailey and her partner were said to have unfollowed Siemek while Siemek unfollowed both of them in turn.

Pankow also unfollowed Linney. However, Pankow and Bailey remained following each other.

Rumors began that Siemek was uncomfortable with Pankow and Bailey’s close friendship. The rumors became so intense, that Pankow and Bailey both made statements. Pankow defended his girlfriend from the ‘disrespect and harassment’ he believed she was receiving, while Bailey denied rumors that she and her partner had an issue with Pankow and Siemek.

In recent days, fans have developed an interest in Pankow’s ex-girlfriend, Teo Marcella. Some people are speculating that she and Bailey look alike, and this is why Siemek is uncomfortable with Bailey and Pankow’s friendship.

Marcella herself recently uploaded a TikTok in which she announces that she’ll be “using the Charlotte Tilbury lip liner in the shade he cheated…I mean, lip cheat.” Many are taking this to imply that Pankow cheated on Marcella. The video has quickly amassed over one million likes.

So…Are the Rumors True?

Although some viewers are theorizing that Pankow requested the twist so he could leave the show, there is no hard evidence that a feud exists between Pankow and Bailey―nor that Siemek is the source of it. Rather, the show’s creators claim that the twist was always going to happen.

Given there has been radio silence from both Pankow and Bailey on the matter, it’s unlikely we’ll discover what’s actually going on behind the scenes.

Ultimately, given the lack of substantial facts, backlash to the cast and their partners seems uncalled for. For now, the best thing to do is hope that season five―the show’s last season―has an ending that makes everyone happy.