Every major death in Outer Banks season 5 (Read only if you want spoilers)

Outer Banks has never been the type of show to shy away from shocking deaths, and there have been several unexpected character deaths over the course of the show’s run. Often, these deaths have been connected to side characters, but the show has not been afraid to keep fans on their toes by killing off several key characters through the years. 

The greatest example of this came in the season 4 finale, when Outer Banks killed JJ in a twist no fan saw coming. JJ’s death proved that no one on the show is safe and that there are real stakes at play. 

After the show killed off JJ, it became clear to fans that no one is safe, which raised fans’ stress levels heading into the final season. Final seasons have been notorious for taking even bigger swings as shows have nothing to lose and no reason to hold back when telling their final chapters. After all, there’s no need to hold back or avoid killing a major character when you know this is the end of the road and Outer Banks did not pull punches with its final 10 episodes. 

There are several shocking deaths over the course of the final season, including a massive death in the series finale that will leave fans speechless! 

Needless to say, there are MAJOR spoilers ahead. If you don’t want to know who survives the final season of Outer Banks before you watch, this is where you’re going to want to turn away. For those who need to know what to expect before watching the final season, or who simply want a recap of the season’s biggest deaths after you’ve watched, let’s dive right on into things! 

Zac kills Driss to save his own life

Our first death of the season comes in the Outer Banks season 5 premiere when one of the season’s new villains turns his back on his fellow smuggler in order to save his own life. We meet the duo at the top of the episode when they offer to help the Pogues and Rafe secure passage to Spain; however, we quickly learn that the pair are up to no good and are looking to collect on a bounty that has been placed on Kiara’s head by Finch. 

The duo try splitting the girls from the guys in order to cash in on the bounty, but the Pogues quickly realize something is wrong and eventually get away. 

Later, Dalia brings Zac and Driss to Finch, and he interrogates them about their knowledge of Kiara and the crown. He then gives them an ultimatum: they can join the Corsairs, but he only has room for one of them on his team. He places a gun on the table in front of them both, and the men race to grab the gun. A fight ensues between the pair, but Zac ends up getting the gun and shoots Driss in the chest, killing him instantly. 

Finch continues to rack up a body count with the death of Dr. Craig

Our second big death of the season comes in the second episode of the season with the death of Dr. Craig, aka Medici. Dr. Craig is called upon to help authenticate The Blue Crown for Groff, but we later find out she’s in the pocket of Finch. 

Early in the episode, Groff meets with Dr. Craig so that she can use her expertise as an expert in ancient metalwork to authenticate the crown. After the pair go back to her flat, she begins working to test the crown’s authenticity and slips away from Groff to make a call to Finch. It turns out, she’s been in his pocket and was working to help him get the crown in exchange for payment. Unfortunately, when Finch and his men arrive and Dr. Craig demands her payment, which was promised up front, Finch has her executed by one of his men, who shoots her in the head as Finch flees with the crown. 

Dalia takes out Tevi and Roberto in shocking fashion

One of the random side storylines introduced in season 5 comes when John B steals the stash of a druglord named Julio and ends up in his crosshairs. After Julio finds out that John B has stolen from him, he places a hit on Sarah’s head as leverage for John B to pay him for the stolen product.

John B, of course, does not have the money or the stolen product, so Julio sends a pair of his men after them, Tevi and Roberto, to go after the pair in hopes of collecting. We see the pair attack Sarah and John B while they’re on their way to New Orleans. The pair follow Sarah and John B, confronting Sarah’s mom about their whereabouts after the pair have already left her home. John B and Sarah return, and Sarah’s mom shoots one of the men, which gives the trio the chance to escape. 

Unfortunately, Tevi and Roberto follow the group to the docks, and a struggle ensues. Just when it looks like things aren’t going to work out for Sarah and John B as Tevi and Roberto get the upper hand and force them to the ground at gunpoint, the unexpected happens. We hear the sound of a gunshot, but it’s not Tevi or Roberto firing it off. Instead, the pair have been taken out via shots to the head by Dalia, who was set to meet with Sarah’s mom to buy the staff in her possession. 

Groff nearly kills Rose

One of the unexpected plotlines introduced in the final season was Groff entering a romantic relationship with Rose Cameron. From the moment we found out that the pair were together, we knew it was going to be the downfall of both characters, and that hunch proves to be correct as both create a lot of problems for one another through the season. 

Late in the season, when Rose can feel the walls closing in, she begins to pack up the stolen gold from the Royal Merchant and skip town. As she’s loading up the last of the gold, Groff returns and catches her in the act. He confronts her for speaking with the police and turning on him, and the confrontation quickly escalates as he pins Rose down and begins strangling her. It looks as though he’s killed her as Wheezie enters the room and sees him standing over Rose’s lifeless body. 

Wheezie ends up getting a gun from upstairs and shoots Groff in the arm, giving her the chance to flee. When Groff makes his way back downstairs, Wheezie is not the only one who has left as Rose’s body is gone. It seems that Groff had not finished the job, and Rose lived to see another day. 

Kiara kills Groff in the most unexpected of ways

Throughout the final season of Outer Banks, Kiara is a woman on a mission to get revenge for JJ’s death. From the very first episode, it’s clear her mission this season is not about any treasure; it’s about making Groff pay for killing JJ in order to get away with the crown. It turns into a game of cat and mouse for the pair throughout the season, but that game finally comes to an end in the series finale. 

During the hurricane, Groff attempts to sail away with the stolen gold, but he doesn’t account for Kiara tracking him down and sneaking onto the ship he’s commandeered. 

Kiara bides her time, and when she notices the opportunity to sneak up on Groff, she takes it. Kiara lunges at Groff and stabs him in the side. The pair then face off in a showdown as it becomes clear one of them will not survive this final face-off. As they fight, Kiara begins to tangle Groff up in the rope of the sail, and that’s when he gets the jump on her. 

Just when it looks like he’s going to kill her, she raises him up via the mast, leaving him dangling in the air. Things quickly go from bad to worse for Groff when the ship’s mast snaps. As Groff dangles over the choppy waters, Kiara cuts the rope that was holding the broken mast to the ship. The mast finally snaps and falls into the ocean, pulling Groff down into the waters and bringing an end to his reign of terror. 

John B, Sarah, Pope, Kiara, and Cleo all survive the season (and so does Rafe)

This is Outer Banks, and as is always the case, there are many near-death experiences for the Pogues and Rafe this season. Thankfully, though, none of the show’s core characters die across the final season which is a major relief after we lost JJ in the penultimate season. In fact, JJ’s death is why there was an elevated concern that the show could kill off another core member of the show’s ensemble in the farewell run of the show. 

Now, while every member of the core cast does survive, there are several near-death experiences that are going to make your heart race over the course of the season. 

Kiara has a particularly rough season; she looks death in the face on multiple occasions throughout the season, nearly dying on a few occasions. There are three episodes over the course of the season that will have fans on the edge of their seats, worrying about Kiara’s fate, and the end of episode 7, in particular, will leave some convinced that Kiara won’t make it out alive. Luckily, the friends always come to her rescue just in time. 

Sarah also finds herself in several situations in which fans will worry about her dying. There is literally a bounty put on her life at one point in the season, and she is thrust into a series of dangerous events. There is even a fakeout scene connected to this plotline in which John B has a nightmare of finding Sarah dead. That moment nearly had us thinking the worst had happened, but thankfully it was all a dream. There is another moment later in the season when Sarah has a health scare at the very end of the episode as part of a cliffhanger moment, but the show quickly resolves the storyline at the top of the next episode and confirms Sarah does not die. 

Pope and John B also find themselves in a few precarious situations over the season, as does Rafe, but the trio never has a moment when you’re really fearing for their lives in the same way as Kiara and Sarah. The same goes for Cleo, though Cleo is put through the wringer in other ways over the course of the final season.

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