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Outer Banks has inspired countless conversations about romance — but which of the show’s fictional couples come out on top?
The hit Netflix series, which premiered in 2020, introduced viewers to a coastal town in the Outer Banks of North Carolina that’s divided into wealthy and working-class sides. The show follows a group of teenagers who accidentally find themselves at the center of a dangerous treasure hunt, but there’s still been plenty of time to introduce multiple fan-favorite fictional couples.
Season 1 set up John B (Chase Stokes) and Sarah’s (Madelyn Cline) love story as they tried not to get divided by their social status. While John B and Sarah (a.k.a. Jarah) found The One on their first try, it took some time for other characters such as Kiara (Madison Bailey), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss).
Viewers, however, knew right away that Kiara and JJ were meant to be together. Fast-forward three seasons, and Kiara and JJ (a.k.a. Jiara) are thriving right alongside John B and Sarah and Pope and Cleo (Carlacia Grant). Season 4 presented new challenges as the group gets caught up in a high-stakes adventure.
Keep scrolling to see Us‘ ranking of the Outer Banks couples in order from least to most memorable:
7. Topper and His Girlfriend + Rafe and His Girlfriend
To be clear, the only reason Topper and Rafe are splitting this ranking is because both of their relationships are of no interest to Us. Maybe if they decided to get together there would be more interest. But if Topper and Rafe are the show’s newest antagonists, then the last thing they need is girlfriends because the audience just won’t care. It didn’t help that Sofia double crossed Rafe — and then didn’t tell him when he proposed to her.
6. Sarah and Topper
The only thing worse than Topper is having to see Topper with Sarah. Besides the fact that couples who are dating when a show starts never last, Topper just doesn’t compare to John B. That is why Sarah made the right choice dropping him in season 1 — or so fans thought.
Imagine our surprise when Outer Banks had Sarah taking a detour back to Topper during the third season despite being spiritually married to John B. Many chose to forget that because she quickly realized her mistake, but that decision continues to haunt Us. Thankfully Sarah is now pregnant with John B’s baby so that door is closed forever.
5. Rafe and Barry
The chemistry between these two was just ambiguous enough that they made it onto this list. Throughout the seasons, Rafe is looking for someone who understands him. Not only does Barry do just that — but he somehow matches his freak too. If Rafe was to end the show with anyone, his connection with Barry feels more long-lasting than any girl he was seen hooking up with so far.
4. Pope and Kiara
Outer Banks eventually figured out the right pairings, but there was a time when the show was a little confused. As a result, Kiara was very briefly paired off with John B and then explored something with Pope. None of those stuck, however, because neither of those connections compared to what Kiara has with JJ.
Luckily the writers’ room picked up on that and gave Us Kiara realizing her feelings for JJ. As a bonus, Pope found his perfect match in Cleo, because sometimes it is worth looking outside the friend group.
3. Cleo and Pope
Before Cleo joined the Pogues, it was hard to figure out where Pope’s personal story was going. His short-lived romance with Kiara didn’t feel right, and it wasn’t until viewers saw his chemistry with Cleo that it made sense why. Pope and Cleo fit like two puzzle pieces, and fans deserve more scenes of the pairing so they can move up on this list.
2. John B and Sarah
There’s a lot of pressure that comes with being the couple that keeps Us coming back for more season to season, but John B and Sarah make it look so easy. No matter what obstacle comes their way, they face it and come out stronger. It should come as no surprise that John B and Sarah are near the top, because Outer Banks is at its strongest when they are on the same page and sailing away to their happily ever after. Now all we need is for those two to make their marriage official because while spiritual vows are nice, we want the real deal. The duo made multiple attempts after finding out about Sarah’s pregnancy but for some reason the universe was working against them.
1. Kiara and JJ
Kiara and JJ were a fan-favorite couple before they were even officially together — and that takes skill. Outer Banks didn’t seem to have JJ and Kiara in mind when the show first started, so it speaks to their power to see them come this far. The perfect embodiment of friends to lovers, Kiara and JJ needed some time to see what was right in front of them, but once they did it was all worth it.
Regardless of what may or may not have happened more recently, Us has chosen to remember Kiara and JJ’s story up until the first half of season 4. The fictional couple found their happily ever after and nothing — not even that season 4 finale — can take that away from them or Us.
