Season four of Outer Banks delivered a wild ride, but it turns out things could have been very different. Sources close to production have revealed that the original plan, which involved a shocking twist: the death of JJ, was slated for the series finale.

Apparently, the behind-the-scenes drama during the filming of season three was so intense that it led to Rudy Pankow’s (he plays JJ Maybank) departure from the show a season early.

This reveal explains a lot about the delayed production of season four. Insiders say that the writers had to scramble to re-work the entire season. Massive rewrites were necessary to shift the narrative and give the remaining Pogues a new direction.

While the show’s creators have remained tight-lipped about the reasons behind his departure, rumors are swirling about what really caused Pankow to jump ship. Some speculate that Pankow simply felt it was time to move on to other projects while others believe JJ’s sudden demise had to do with the drama surrounding Rudy’s real life girlfriend.

An exclusive Deuxmoi source shot down the later rumors telling us, “Elaine wasn’t on set for any of Rudy’s intimate scenes. When she worked for the show season three, she wasn’t scheduled to work the day/night of their kiss and she had friends in town that she hung out with and posted about that day. She was not on set for the entirety of season 4 except one day towards the end of filming and mostly hung out in the trailer. The reality is that she decided to grow in a different direction from the show years ago (after season 3) and she is just living her life.”

One thing is certain: Outer Banks will never be the same without JJ Maybank. We wish Rudy Pankow all the best in his future endeavors, and hope that one day, he might reveal the true reason behind his departure from the beloved Netflix series.