Finding love in Poguelandia! The characters on Outer Banks are always on the hunt for their treasure — but that doesn’t stop their search for The One as well.

Outer Banks, which debuted on Netflix in April 2020, explored the conflict between the Pogues and the Kooks in North Carolina. While at odds, the teenagers quickly get caught up in an unexpected search for lost treasure that raises the stakes in their personal lives.

The hit series introduced viewers to popular fictional ships such as John B (Chase Stokes) and Sarah (Madelyn Cline). Their friend Kiara (Madison Bailey) also ended up between Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and JJ (Rudy Pankow) throughout the season.

Bailey weighed in on who she thought Kiara might choose to be with following major ups and downs. “Kiara could still end up with anybody at this point,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2021, referring to Kiara and JJ’s fate after season 2. “I think if there are scenes that really bring them together, then why not? But I don’t think you’ve seen enough scenes of just the two of them yet.”

The American Horror Stories actress noted that Kiara would need to “figure herself out first” before she considered dating.

Outer Banks Madelyn Cline Reacts To Show Exit Rumors Amid Her Split From Chase Stokes
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Bailey later revealed that she wouldn’t mind seeing Kiara and JJ’s connection grow into a romance. “I’m on the edge of my seat with where the writers are going to take this. I’m honestly so passionate about Outer Banks,” she explained to Us in December 2021. “I feel like they can’t go wrong with the story line anywhere, and if me and Rudy teamed up as actors, I think [it] will be really sick.

 

“But I think the end game, the end game of the OBX, I can see JJ and Kiara being like, ‘All right there’s something here,’” he told Us in April 2020. “Because it starts out with JJ saying that he had tried getting with Kiara. So, who knows?”

The Alaska native pointed out that JJ and Pope would have to be in a good place before anything else could be explored. “I think there’s a talk with Pope. There’s a talk with Ki, kind of like, ‘What exactly is going on? I’m your friend too,’” he added in July 2021. “I think he might be feeling a little left out, like, ‘What’s going on here?’ I think what’s happening in season 2 is JJ is really focused on the safety of things and also restitution. So yeah, like, I think there’s a lot of other factors that are going on with JJ.”

Scroll down for everything the Outer Banks cast has teased about romance in season 3:

The ‘Big Romance’ of Season 3

Ahead of season 3, creator Josh Pate confirmed that JJ and Kiara will be “the big romance” of the season.

“Later on in the season, almost a whole episode is devoted to that relationship. It was a big card we really wanted to play and make it a big thing,” he shared with Entertainment Weekly in February 2023. “We didn’t want to do it too fast, so we thought season 3 would be a good time to explore that, and I’m really pleased with the way that came out. It’s some of my favorite scenes of the whole season.”

John B and Sarah’s Ups and Downs

“Love isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s not supposed to be something that comes naturally. Part of me wants to continue down the road of peace for John B and Sarah, but if there’s anything we know about this show, it’s that it’s going to take you for a wild ride,” Stokes hinted to EW in February 2023 about John B and Sarah’s story line in season 3. “They’re definitely, yet again, going to be tested, and hopefully the fans understand it through the lens of what they’re going through and the circumstances that they’re put under.”

Investing in Kiara and JJ

In July 2021, showrunner Josh Pate weighed in on the growing connection between Kiara and JJ. “That was one thing we really loved about season 1 that’s less of an element of season 2 that we really want to get back to,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “That was the plan, kind of architecting the characters towards opening up some romances in season 3.”

Sarah and John B’s Potential Future

Ahead of season 3, Cline hinted at Sarah and John B’s highly anticipated return as a couple on Outer Banks.

“My lips are sealed. I will say nothing. I think anticipation is one of the best things about being in the off-season,” she told E! News in May 2022. “I get so excited myself to even get a new script. I can’t wait for everyone to experience that.”

The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery star, who dated Stokes off screen from 2020 to 2021, noted that the couple’s decision to tie the knot might come into play. “They’re married, but they actually kind of don’t know a whole lot about each other,” she shared with Entertainment Tonight in July 2021. “I feel like that would be really fun. They’ve obviously been through a lot together.”

Stokes, for his part, also voiced concerns about the obstacles awaiting the fan-favorite relationship.

“What does young love turn into? Is it going to be walking into the sunset or are we going to see the honest two cents of what it’s like to be young and in love and continue to see little things be wedged in between?” he added at the time. “Part of me wants to see John B and Sarah be like an old married couple, sitting there, laughing about something really dumb.”

Pope’s Interest in Cleo

“We’ll see what happens with moving forward with the third season. I feel like Cleo [Carlacia Grant] is somebody Pope wishes he were like a little more,” Daviss noted in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in July 2022. “[She’s] just determined. She feels like she knows what she’s doing. She’s confident in herself. She’s confident in her abilities. She doesn’t care what other people think. I think those are attributes that Pope admires.”