Here's how the real ages of the cast of 'Outer Banks' compare to their characters

The cast of "Outer Banks" season five. for Netflix The fifth and final season of "Outer Banks" dropped on Netflix on August 20. The show focuses on two groups, the Pogues and Kooks, engaged in class warfare. Even though the characters are barely in their 20s, the actors are 26 and older. Well, it looks like our time with everyone's favorite treasure-hunting teens (now young adults) is over — but, as they say, P4L. The Netflix original series "Outer Banks" almost immediately became a phenomenon upon its April 2020 premiere. After the first two seasons, the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, which promotes tourism to the region, told People that visitor numbers were "significantly up" and that "the show no doubt contributed to a higher visibility for the destination." The cast also became stars overnight, each with over 1 million followers on Instagram — some with up to 16.4 million — and they have secured partnerships with brands like Armani, American Eagle, and Revlon, among others. The show even inspired a music festival, Poguelandia, held in Huntington Beach, California, in February 2023 and again in November 2024. While the cast became famous for playing teenagers, they're actually much older in real life. The youngest member of the main cast is 26, and the oldest is 35. Here's how the ages of the cast compare with the ages of their treasure-hunting characters in season five. Warning: Spoilers ahead for season five of "Outer Banks." The main character of "Outer Banks" is John B., a 21-year-old living on his own after his father's death. Chase Stokes on season one, episode two of "Outer Banks." Curtis Baker/Netflix The disappearance of John B.'s dad is what sets him on the path to the Bahamas in search of buried treasure. By the end of season five, John B. — now 21 — is "married" (both spiritually and legally) to Sarah Cameron with a newborn son named JJ. Chase Stokes, who plays John B., is actually 33. US actor Chase Stokes attends the Netflix's "Outer Banks" season 5 event "Pogues for Life: A Fan Farewell" at the Fort Theatre in Los Angeles on August 15, 2026. JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / He's more than a decade older than his teenage character. Since "Outer Banks" began, Stokes has appeared in projects like the Netflix adaptation of the YA novel "Uglies" and the Prime Video series "Tell Me Your Secrets." John B.'s main love interest is 21-year-old Sarah Cameron. She's known as a "Kook," or a rich person in the Outer Banks. Sarah Cameron. Netflix While Sarah's family may be elitist and, in some cases, downright evil, Sarah is able to escape all that to find love with John B. and his friends, the "Pogues." By the end of season five, she's a new mom and a newlywed. In actuality, Madelyn Cline, who plays Sarah, is 28. Madelyn Cline attends Netflix's "Outer Banks" Season 5 Event: Pogues For Life A Fan Farewell at The Ford on August 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California Brianna Bryson/ Cline and her on-screen love interest, played by Stokes, dated for over a year in real life before breaking up in November 2022. In between seasons of "OBX," Cline starred in "Glass Onion," the second "Knives Out" film. She also starred in the reboot of "I Know What You Did Last Summer." In 2027, she'll costar with Glen Powell in "The Comeback King," and with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in "Day Drinker." Kiara, or Kie, was the only female member of John B.'s group of friends, known as the "Pogues." She's 21 by the end of season five, too. Kiara. Netflix Kiara's parents own a restaurant in the Outer Banks, which sometimes means that she gets dragged to Kook events, like the Midsummer party in episode five of season one. Kiara has been through some traumatic events in her short life, including getting sent to a juvenile boot camp, cutting off her parents, and losing her boyfriend, JJ. The actor who plays Kiara, Madison Bailey, is 27 in real life. Madison Bailey arrivals at the Netflix's "Outer Banks" Season 5 Event: Pogues For Life A Fan Farewell at The Ford on August 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Steve Granitz/ Bailey also had a recurring role on the CW show "Black Lightning" as part of the villainous group, the Masters of Disaster. In 2024, she starred in the Netflix film "Time Cut." The next year, she starred in the Prime Video original "Maintenance Required." Twenty-one-year-old Pope is another member of the Pogues. Pope. Netflix Pope is easily the smartest member of the Pogues and has the closest relationship to the gold everyone was searching for in seasons one and two. He's a descendant of Denmark Tanny, who smuggled the gold in after a shipwreck in the 1800s. In fact, he ends the series living on Denmark's plantation, Tannyhill. Jonathan Daviss, aka Pope, turned 26 this year. Jonathan Daviss attends Netflix's "Outer Banks" Season 5 Event: Pogues For Life A Fan Farewell at The Ford on August 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. John Shearer/ Daviss had a starring role in the 2022 Netflix film "Do Revenge." In June 2025, Daviss was tapped to play Snoop Dogg in a coming biopic, aptly titled "Snoop." It will be released in August 2027. Rounding out the Pogues was 20-year-old JJ. JJ. Netflix JJ, who came from an abusive household, was the hothead of the group — though, over the first three seasons, he made some progress on that front. He even finally told Kiara he loved her at the end of season three. Tragically, his arc came to an end in the season four finale, when he was murdered by his newly discovered birth father, Chandler Groff. Most of season five's events were based on Kiara's attempts to retrieve the Blue Crown, an artifact that purportedly can raise the dead, so she could revive JJ — and she did, in a sense. JJ was played by 29-year-old Rudy Pankow. Rudy Pankow at Universal Pictures' "Reminders of Him" Los Angeles premiere held at Hollywood Legion Theater on March 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Gilbert Flores/ Pankow hails from Alaska, a far cry from the islands of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Just before the fourth season of "OBX" premiered, Pankow wrapped up his time as Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet" at Boston's American Repertory Theater. He's also appeared in films such as "Uncharted," "The Crusades," and "Accidental Texan." In 2026, he appeared in the Colleen Hoover adaptation, "Reminders of Him." His next project will be the supernatural rom-com "Thud," which costars Sarah Michelle Gellar. Sarah starts the show dating Topper, a fellow 21-year-old Kook. Topper. Netflix Perhaps you remember when the audio of Sarah telling Topper, "No, you don't, Topper. You love the idea of me, you love being seen with me, but you don't love me," went viral on TikTok. In real life, Topper is played by 30-year-old Austin North. Austin North attends Pogues For Life: A Fan Farewell with the Cast of Outer Banks at The Ford on August 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. for Netflix North got his start on the Disney Channel, starring in the show "I Didn't Do It" from 2014 to 2015. In 2024, he appeared in the film "One Last Move." Sarah's unstable older brother, Rafe, is around 23 years old. Rafe. Netflix Rafe is set up as a college dropout and general thorn in the side of the rest of the Cameron family — throughout the show, he's grown increasingly more volatile. However, by the end of season four, Rafe established an uneasy alliance with the Pogues, especially his sister, Sarah. His redemption arc was completed in season five, though, as he reconciled with his sister and helped out the Pogues. Drew Starkey, who plays Rafe, is actually 32. Drew Starkey attends the Netflix's "Outer Banks" season 5 event "Pogues for Life: A Fan Farewell" at the Fort Theatre in Los Angeles on August 15, 2026. JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / You may recognize Starkey as the police officer from "The Hate U Give," his recurring role in "Scream: Resurrection," or his roles in "The Devil All the Time, "Love, Simon," "The Other Zoey," or the recent Apple TV+ series "Lucky." In 2024, he had a breakout role in the Luca Guadagnino film "Queer," which costarred Daniel Craig. He has a busy slate lined up next, appearing in "Onslaught" later this summer, and then appearing in the films "Deep Cuts" and "King Snake." Cleo joined the cast in season two. She's around the same age as the Pogues. Cleo in "Outer Banks." Netflix John B. and Sarah met Cleo when the ship she was working on rescued them from a shipwreck at the beginning of season two. After allying herself with them and the rest of their friends, Cleo is now a full-blown Pogue — even legally, after she gets engaged to Pope in the finale. She's played by Carlacia Grant, who is actually 35. Carlacia Grant attends Netflix's "Outer Banks" Season 5 Event: Pogues For Life A Fan Farewell at The Ford on August 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Brianna Bryson/ Grant has a strong Bahamian accent in the show, but in real life, Grant has an American accent. Read the original article on Business Insider

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