There’s no denying that Season 3 of “Yellowjackets” saw more deaths than ever — but which kill was the roughest on the cast?
The stars of the Paramount+ show broke down the chilling murders in the latest season, revealing to The Post that the group “bawled our eyes out” when they had to say goodbye to this character and their real-life friend.
Warning: spoilers for Season 3 below!
The 10-episode thriller that jumps between the teen soccer team’s 1996 plane crash and the survivors in the present day claimed the lives of several characters — including many of the core “Yellowjackets.”
While fans were fine seeing newcomers frog scientist Edwin (Nelson Franklin), who died by axe, and Kody (Joel McHale), whose demise was a knife in the eye by Hanna (Ashley Sutton), the killings of Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger), teen Mari (Alexa Barajas), adult Lottie (Simone Kessell), and adult Van (Lauren Ambrose) were harder to digest.
Coach Ben died in a mercy killing at the hands of teen Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) after the “Yellowjackets” soccer team turned on their former mentor.
The teens held him hostage and cut his Achilles tendon so he couldn’t escape.
After repeatedly pleading with teen Natalie to kill him, she took his life, which resulted in her being dethroned as the leader of the group. His corpse was beheaded, cooked, and eaten by the group.
Adult Van’s murder was also hard to accept, as she was already dying from terminal cancer.
After discovering her former teammate, adult Melissa, was alive and well decades after their accident, Ambrose’s character, along with adult Misty (Christina Ricci) and adult Tai (Tawny Cypress), debated what to do with her — all while adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) was hunting her down following an unsuccessful attempt to take her life.
Adult Van had the chance to kill adult Melissa, but the roles flipped when she had a change of heart.
Adult Melissa then took the weapon and shoved it through adult Van’s chest, leaving her lover, adult Tai, to grapple with the devastating loss.
Other significant murders in Season 3 were adult Lottie, who was ruthlessly pushed down the stairs to her death by an unlikely killer, and teen Marie, who fell into a pit full of spikes while being hunted in the woods by her teammates.
Speaking to the Emmy-nominated cast at the finale event in North Hollywood, California, on Thursday, April 10, The Post learned which departure was the hardest for “Yellowjackets” stars Ricci, Courtney Eaton (young Lottie) and Samantha Hanratty (young Misty).
While Ricci noted that she had struggled with Ambrose and Simone’s departure from the series, she also gave a shoutout to Juliette Lewis, who died in the finale of Season 2, and Coach Scott.
“Well, you know, I think that I got close to Lauren, so it was difficult to know that she was leaving us. It was very difficult when Juliet left and difficult when Simone left. I mean, they’re all really difficult,” she said.
“And to know Steven was leaving was also. Steven’s such an awesome, awesome, awesome guy and such an amazing actor, and I would say that was really tough,” the superstar shared.
Most of the actresses who play the teen counterparts agreed that Coach Scott was the most difficult character and person on the cast to exit this season.
“I think one of the hardest scenes to film, I wasn’t actually there. Sophie called me one day and was like, it’s actually Steven’s last day. And we are so close to Steven, he’s like our big brother,” Eaton exclusively told The Post.
“And we both ended up bawling our eyes out on the phone and [I] was, like, ‘How am I not there for his last day?’ So like, that was a really hard part of the season,” she continued.
“That was the hardest part,” Eaton explained. “I think it was just the most close to home, but I think that every single one of them have made me cry.”
The star later said that, as a fan of the show herself, seeing all the characters get knocked off “destroyed me.”
Coach Ben’s death was also the roughest for Hanratty.
Teen Misty was obsessed with Coach Scott and the only teammate on his side when the group turned on him.
“The death count this season was insane,” Hanratty said.
“Ben’s was a really particularly hard one for me, just because it was my scene partner for so long,” the actress told The Post. “I’m so obsessed with Steven. I think he’s incredible. So that was really difficult and emotional.”
Hanratty also gave McHale’s character an honorable mention, calling Kody’s murder “one of the more shocking ones because I was like, ‘You just got here’ and then bam!”
When The Post asked Cypress how she felt about saying farewell to Ambrose’s character, she began to cry.
“I’m not gonna see her, and it’s hard,” she responded as the tears fell.
“Yellowjackets” Season 3 is now available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime.
