🤐 SPOILER ALERT 🤐

After three seasons of high-stakes treasure hunts — in search of $400 million, the Cross of Santo Domingo and, most recently, El Dorado — the Pogues finally strike gold at the end of Outer Banks Season 3. Once deemed troublemakers on Kildare Island, the friend group is now celebrated as hometown heroes for putting an end to a 500-year-old mystery and finding El Dorado, the lost city of gold.

But that doesn’t mean their treasure-hunting days are over. In the season finale, 18 months after completing the biggest quest of their lives, the Pogues are approached by an elderly man at the commemorative ceremony. The gentleman pulls out a manuscript belonging to the infamous pirate, Blackbeard. It’s a captain’s log with records of the exact locations Blackbeard’s ship sailed to up until 1718, when it was shipwrecked. It’s thought that all of Blackbeard’s precious gold is still lost — and this log could provide clues to its whereabouts.

“I would investigate it myself, but I’m too long in the tooth,” the old man tells the teens. “I need partners, and you all were first on my list.” The friends look at each other with brewing excitement and John B replies, “Hot damn.” 

Before the Pogues head off on another treasure hunt in Outer Banks Season 4, here’s a quick Blackbeard history lesson.

Who is Blackbeard in Outer Banks?

Born in 1618, the English pirate Edward Teach was later given the name Blackbeard because of his frightening appearance and thick, black beard. Logical. While very little is known about his early life, it’s believed that Blackbeard started as a sailor on privateer ships during Queen Anne’s War. Later, he cruised the West Indies and former British colonies along the Atlantic coast. No sailor wanted to cross Blackbeard’s ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge — and for good reason. Waving above his vessel was a black flag depicting a skeleton piercing a bloody red heart. Blackbeard built a notorious reputation for being a ruthless and violent killer, as he commandeered other ships and robbed them of their cargo. 

Sounds thrilling, but what does Blackbeard have to do with Outer Banks?

During the 18th century, piracy became rampant along the North Carolina shores — including the Outer Banks. Much to the dismay of the area’s residents, Blackbeard and his crew terrorized the coastal towns with their violent crimes. For Madison Bailey, who plays Kiara on the show, growing up in North Carolina meant learning about this infamous pirate’s lore. “It’s cool that they’re tying the treasure hunt back into history rooted in North Carolina,” Bailey told Tudum. “It was a whole segment of our history class in eighth grade that we just were learning about pirates, and Blackbeard was a big deal.” Blackbeard’s ship went down in 1718 after hitting a sandbar, and North Carolina state authorities confirmed in 2011 that the wreckage was near Beaufort, about 200 miles south of the Outer Banks. Prime for the Pogue picking, if you ask us. 

The Guys of ‘Outer Banks’ Reveal the Toughest Season 3 Stunt to Film“We’re tanked now, ready for anything.”

Stream Season 3 of Outer Banks now.