Tread carefully! Spoilers of Outer Banks Season 4 ahead!
Tensions have boiled over and fans have been erupting with rumors following the release of part two of Outer Banks Season Four. Fans have been speculating many theories about what is going on on the set of Outer Banks, especially with so many social media fallouts and the rumor mill spinning at top speed. Many of the issues revolve around Madison Bailey, who plays Kiara, and Rudy Pankow, who plays JJ. However, Madelyn Cline was the first cast member to unfollow both Rudy and his girlfriend, Elaine Siemek, on social media, creating an uproar throughout the fanbase and leaving people wondering: What truly happened on the set of Outer Banks?
Problems started arising when fans began shipping Rudy and Madison, both on-screen and off. Unfortunately, this caused tensions to rise between them and their real-life partners. Interestingly, the two characters were not supposed to become a couple when the show originally aired, with the writerâs stating that they were going to focus on Pope and Kiara, and then eventually have Cleo and JJ together. However, with the widespread support and shipping of JJ and Kiara from the viewers, and the obvious chemistry and connection between the actors, Jiara came to life onscreen and became the #1 couple. However, the constant shipping of the two actors off-screen caused a lot of issues and created an awkwardness in their friendship, as well as their bond on-screen. It made it really difficult for them to continue acting as a couple, since so many people believed that âthey belong togetherâ, to which Madison responded âNo we donâtâ on Instagram Live. The drama also blew up at a cast dinner in 2023 which led Madison and her girlfriend, Mariah Linney, to unfollow Rudyâs girlfriend, Elaine. Itâs clear that the constant shipping deeply affected their daily life and their relationships, leading to obvious tension when filming.Â
When fans finally get the long awaited romance of Jiara, it no longer seems quite right. After the release of season four, fans began speculating the usage of body doubles in particular scenes based on the camera cuts and that neither Rudy or Madison were in the frame at the same time. Rumors began spreading that Madison and Rudy were feuding and unable to film intimate scenes together anymore. Madison and Rudy are adamant that no body doubles were used in these scenes, yet the fans are hard to convince. These theories have been blowing up all over TikTok, with viewers angry that Rudy and Madison arenât professional enough to put the feud behind them and do their job. They have been compared a lot to their castmates Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes, who are dating on the show and are exes in real-life, yet are able to remain extremely professional while filming. Fans are confused as to why Madison and Rudy are unable to maintain a professional relationship while filming, stating, âthey had to use stunt double just shows their unprofessionalism to their workâ. Many fans were upset due to the clear disappearance of chemistry between JJ and Kiara throughout the ending of season four, making it even more evident that drama had occurred between them. Itâs still upsetting to watch your favorite characters who are seemingly in love, shake hands as a goodbye.Â
Fans, yet again, began speculating that Elaine Siemek, Rudyâs girlfriend, is causing the behind-the-scenes drama. This made Rudy extremely upset and he released a statement on Instagram stating âaccusations are being said that go beyond the normal âhateâ…Accusing someone you donât know of being abusive and manipulative is not okâ. People also began to theorize that Elaine had something to do with Rudy leaving Outer Banks after the gut-wrenching end to his character JJ. The writers Shannon Burke and Josh and Jonas Pate came out stating that JJâs death had always been planned and had not been caused by any relationship feud, but fans are still doubtful and believe that it was because of Elaineâs jealousy and creating problems with Madison that JJ is dead. Both Rudy and Madison have been angry about the online trolls since many of the fan theories were out of control and made without full context. Rudy did an interview with the entire cast after the release and said that his time on Outer Banks has been a great experience and that playing JJ was amazing. His cast mates also made a teary goodbye and Madison Bailey described how well Rudy brought JJ to life, clearly upset to his leaving. The writerâs use of JJâs death is to emphasize the question of âhow much are they willing to risk?â and the friendship that he had embodied as the âKing of friendshipâ.
Honestly, itâs quite clear that no one truly knows what happened on set, and we may never know. A lot of the drama has been speculated and assumed by fans, so viewers donât know what actually happened. A lot of fans also have a strong connection to JJ, so his death was a hard hit and led to a lot of wild assumptions and out of pocket comments. While it is definitely interesting to dive into the behind the scenes of what happened on set, since it is clear that something occurred, it is also necessary to remain respectful. But JJ will definitely be missed in Season 5 and the future of Outer Banks; hopefully the Pogues will get their well-deserved revenge.Â
Canât get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!