One of the former stars of Outer Banks is coming back for the fifth and final season, but it might be the surprise season 5 return OBX fans are hoping for.
Wheezie Cameron, played by Julia Antonelli, is returning for Outer Banks season 5, according to a new photo from set. Wheezie appeared in the first three seasons of the series before largely sitting out season 4. The last time we even heard about Wheezie was when Rose (Caroline Arapoglou) wouldn't let Wheezie speak to Sarah (Madelyn Cline) on the phone after Ward (Charles Esten) did in South America.
J. Anthony Crane, who plays Chandler Groff in Outer Banks, posted a pic of himself and Julia from what appears to be the Camerons' house in the series on his Instagram Stories. I could be wrong about that location, but it looks familiar.
It makes a lot of sense why Wheezie is in Outer Banks season 5. I was honestly shocked that she and Rose were basically left out of last season's story, but there are many reasons why we can expect her to return for the fifth season.
Most importantly, she's Sarah's only sister. Sarah just found out she was pregnant in Outer Banks season 4. We have to imagine that Sarah, despite not talking to Wheezie for years, would want to share that information with her family. Wheezie should have a much bigger role in season 5.
On top of that, Rafe (Drew Starkey) just got scammed out of a bunch of money. That's Wheezie's money, too. I can't imagine she's going to be stoked about her brother ruining the family fortune, but hey, what did they expect? It's Rafe after all.
We obviously don't know exactly where the story is headed in Outer Banks season 5, but it's clear the Pogues are headed back to the Outer Banks on their quest to stop Groff and avenge JJ's death in the season 4 finale. Maybe, they'll make home base at the Cameron estate while they figure out their next moves and how to stop Groff. That's where they'll cross paths with Wheezie.
With Outer Banks coming to an end with season 5, it also makes sense to tie up any loose ends with these characters. While they haven't officially been confirmed to return, we should see Barry (Nicholas Cirillo), Topper (Austin North), and some of the other minor characters, in addition to Rose and Wheezie, return to wrap up their stories. Sure, the writers could bail and leave those stories without endings, but that would be a bummer.
Unfortunately, we're going to be waiting a long time to find out how Outer Banks season 5 comes to an end, and if Rudy Pankow makes an appearance in some capacity. Filming started in June 2025 and will continue to the end of the year, according to the latest updates. It's possible that production could be pushed to early 2026 if there are delays.
That puts the Outer Banks season 5 release somewhere in the summer or fall of 2026. Netflix has already confirmed we'll be waiting that long for the new season. We'll share more news about the upcoming season as we find out. Stay tuned for more news about Outer Banks season 5!