An IRL ‘Outer Banks’ Treasure Hunt? We Joined Some Pogues For A Sweet Netflix Ticket Giveaway

Watching Netflix’s soapy Outer Banks at home, you’d be forgiven for thinking the treasure hunting teen show is an underrated gem. But I discovered the opposite when I pulled up at a packed crowd of real life Pogues in Jacksonville, Florida, of all places, for a surprise giveaway of tickets to the streamer’s Poguelandia fan experience.

The grand prize for the Outer Banks Gold Hunt was a trip for two to Poguelandia, Netflix’s upcoming music festival and fan experience all about the teen drama. In part to promote the upcoming third season of the series, Poguelandia is a six hour long event in Huntington, California on February 18 which will welcome bands featured in the series, as well as promising surprise appearances by cast-members from the show.

Jacksonville, Fla., was the second in-person location Netflix secured for its treasure hunt, the first being Raleigh, N.C. (A Netflix rep told Decider that at least the Jacksonville location was chosen because of its strong concentration of Outer Banks fans). Fittingly to the series, the entire experience was a treasure hunt. Fans lined up to be assigned one of four treasure hunting stations. They had to spin around a shovel three times, and then — when they were good and dizzy — had to search one-handed through their treasure box. Every gem produced a prize; from Outer Banks-themed bandanas and water bottles, to bucket hats. But the prize everyone wanted was a gold bar, which meant the winner would take home Poguelandia tickets.

While I was there, I saw one grand winner — a young woman who only gave her name as Karolyn and who drove from Orlando for the event with her friend Kayla. Though she was interested in going to Poguelandia before the event, the trip out was too expensive. Now she’ll be at Huntington Beach, Calif., starting February 18.

When asked what she liked about Outer Banks, Karolyn highlighted the relationships. “I liked Pope and Kie, but not anymore,” she said.

That was a recurring theme with all the fans I talked to — the ‘ships. Of course John B. (Chase Stokes) and Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) came up, but so did Kie (Madison Bailey) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss) as well as Kie and JJ (Rudy Pankow), a yet-unconfirmed relationship that has been teased in photos for Season 3. Fans also praised the twists that the drama is known for, and at least two people were excited for the potential return of John B.’s father, revealed to be alive in the Season 2 finale. Though the concert portion of the Poguelandia event was also a draw, it seemed like most people who participated in the ticket giveaway truly were fans of the show.

And when asked why they love Outer Banks, it really came down to that Pogue life. “They’re all super chill and they’re not worried about what other people think,” Giselle Tapia, a Jacksonville local, said. “I think that’s super cool.”

“It’s kind of an escape when we watch the show,” Haylee Wilemon, another local resident, added.

And now that at least one of these IRL Pogues has some sweet concert tickets, they’re ready to make a real life escape of their own.

Outer Banks Season 3 will premiere February 23 on Netflix.