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"Candidate" redirects here. For the episode, see "The Candidate".
6x04 NoMoreLocke

Locke's name as a candidate crossed out by the Man in Black on the cave wall. ("The Substitute")

Jacob chose a number of individuals as candidates to replace him as protector of the Island. Many people who came to the Island, including many survivors of Oceanic 815, were candidates that had been purposely watched, visited, selected and drawn by Jacob.

Jacob began choosing candidates when he realized that his brother, the Man in Black, planned to kill him. The candidates were all people who were flawed or damaged, like Jacob himself, whom the Island could help and who could protect the Island in return.

By the time of Jacob's death, only six candidates remained. When only four remained, Jacob appeared before them to let them choose who would become the next Protector. Jack Shephard volunteered. Within a day, he died saving the Island and appointed Hugo Reyes as his successor.

The candidates[]

The Man in Black's account[]

Following Jacob's death, the Man in Black, in the form of John Locke, brought Sawyer to the cliffside cave. Inside he revealed numerous names of individuals scrawled haphazardly across the walls and ceiling; each name linked with a corresponding number. The Man in Black explained that these individuals are or were candidates chosen to potentially replace Jacob in the role of protecting the Island. He also claimed that Jacob intentionally brought each candidate to the Island by intervening and manipulating choices made at critical points in their lives.

The Man in Black explained that each candidate (or, at least in Sawyer's case) has three options:

  1. To do nothing and see how things play out (and possibly their name will be crossed off the list);
  2. To take over Jacob's position as protector of the Island; or...
  3. To leave the Island and move on with their lives.

As he explained this to Sawyer, he slowly crossed out Locke's name in on the cave wall. When asked about the numbers associated with each name, the Man in Black comments "Jacob had a thing for numbers."

Given the Man in Black's obvious bias against Jacob, it may be worth taking his account of who and what the candidates are with a grain of salt.

It was later revealed that the Man in Black is trying to kill all of the remaining candidates in order to leave the Island. ("The Candidate")

Jacob[]

In 1867, shortly after the wreck of the Black Rock, the Man in Black and Jacob held a short conversation. The Man in Black implored Jacob to let him leave the Island, but Jacob responded that as long as he was alive, that would not happen. The Man in Black stated that is why he will kill Jacob. Jacob calmly responds that if that occurs, that he will merely be replaced by another, to which the Man in Black responds that he will kill that person too. ("Ab Aeterno")

In 2007, Jacob explains why he selected each candidate. He was looking for people who were like him - alone and flawed. His candidates were people who were looking for something they couldn't find and who needed the Island as much as the Island needed them. Jacob also explains that the names that are crossed out (on the Lighthouse dial) can be reinstated. Kate was crossed off on the cave wall but this was a decoy in order to fool the Man in Black so he would not think she was a threat. ("What They Died For")

The Others[]

The candidates have a special protected status among the Others, although the Others seem somewhat loathe to reveal this fact to them.

Throughout the beginning of Season 6, Dogen seems very motivated to try to keep the survivors inside the Temple where they will be safe. Much later, Dogen confronts Hurley in a restricted area of the Temple. At the prompting from a manifestation of Jacob, Hurley responds that he is a candidate and can do what he likes. Dogen demands to know who told Hurley he was a candidate and, not getting an answer, backs off begrudgingly. ("Lighthouse")

Candidate lists[]

A full list of candidates appears to have been written down in at least two locations:

Lighthouse Dial

Full image of the lighthouse dial. (Click to see in detail)

The names on the cave walls and at the lighthouse all appear to be given surnames, although exactly who each surname represents is not always entirely clear. For example, Alex could potentially be identified as either "Linus" or "Rousseau." However, "Linus" and "Rousseau" could also refer to Ben and Danielle, respectively. Neither list has been seen in its entirety. Aside from some discrepancies (some minor and some major), the name and number pairings of both lists largely agree. In the lighthouse, the numbers correspond to specific bearings that the signal mirror can be set to. The cave wall, however, appears to be a decoy in order to fool the Man in Black into thinking it was the real list. The real list was in the Lighthouse which was hidden from the MiB.

Number of candidates[]

Jorge Garcia's podcast "Geronimo Jack's Beard," says the script for "The Substitute" calls for "over a hundred names" to be written on the cave wall. If the numbers are contiguous, then there should be at least 360 names. If every bearing on the compass rose at the lighthouse has a corresponding name, there may be as many as 360 candidates. So far, the names of 120 candidates have been revealed. If there are a total of 360 candidates, then this constitutes only a third of the candidates.

Discrepancies between the cave and the lighthouse[]

The lists in the cave and lighthouse reflect many of the same pairings of names and numbers. However, there are a few discrepancies between the two:

  • "Rutherford" is #31 in the cave and #32 in the lighthouse. The name "Toms" is listed instead at #31 in the lighthouse.
  • "Lewis" is #140 in the cave and #104 in the lighthouse.
  • "Brennan" is #29 in the cave and #35 in the lighthouse. The number 35 was not shown in the cave, and the name for number 29 was not shown clearly in the lighthouse.
    • This could also be because there are two different Brennans on the list, and therefore not a discrepancy.
  • "Austen" is crossed out in the cave but not in the Lighthouse which appears to confirm that the cave was a decoy in order to trick the Man in Black. Kate was believed to be a Candidate at that time because she was one of the people on Ajira 316 who teleported back in time along with the other Candidates - Jack, Hurley and Sayid. Sun remained on the plane appearing to confirm she was either no longer or never was a Candidate.

The discrepancies appear to be because the cave was a decoy by Jacob in order to make the Man in Black think it was the real list.

Crossed-out names[]

The vast majority of names on both the cave walls and on the compass rose at the lighthouse have been crossed out. It is not entirely clear what it means when a name has been crossed out, but it is likely an indication that the individual, for whatever reason, is no longer considered a candidate. In some cases, the crossed-out candidate has died (examples: Locke, Rousseau, Rutherford, Goodspeed, Troup). In other cases, the candidate is still alive (examples: Linus, Straume, Littleton), and it is not clear why the person's name was removed from consideration. It could be because they have done something wrong that cannot be undone, such as murder (in Ben's case). It also could be because they were following the Man in Black (a.k.a. smoke monster), this would be true of Claire Littleton.

Remaining candidates[]

As seen in "The Substitute" and "Lighthouse", at least five names remained not crossed out at both the cave and the lighthouse: Ford, Reyes, Shephard, Jarrah, and Kwon. Each of their names corresponds with one of the Numbers. Locke's name was not seen on the compass rose at the lighthouse, and his name was crossed off the cave wall by the Man in Black in "The Substitute".

In "Ab Aeterno," Ilana revealed that she was given a list by Jacob with the names of the six remaining candidates. In "The Candidate" Charles Widmore revealed that he, too, has a list.

  • Ilana and the Man in Black both believed that either Sun or Jin was one of the candidates - or perhaps that both were. ("The Substitute")  ("Dr. Linus")
  • In "The Package", the Man in Black told Claire that her name was not on the cave wall and also that Kate's name as not on the cave wall. In "The Substitute", however, Claire's surname, Littleton, was seen crossed out at the cave.

Other lists[]

Main article: Lists

The Others referenced other lists associated with Jacob. Candidate names did not appear on these lists.

Candidates pointed out at the cliffside cave[]

Name and Number Character Status Information
4-LOCKE

4 - LOCKE

Locke-mini

John Locke

Deceased Locke met Jacob after being pushed out of a window by his father. Jacob touched his shoulder and said that he was sorry that had happened to him. Locke's name was crossed out in the cave by the Man in Black. ("The Substitute") It is unknown whether Locke's name was in the lighthouse, as the entire compass rose was not shown. ("Lighthouse")
8-REYES

8 - REYES

Hurley-mini

Hugo Reyes

Alive Immediately after his release from prison, Hurley met Jacob, who talked him into booking passage on Ajira Flight 316. Jacob touched Hurley's chest when emphasizing the importance of the flight. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Hurley was identified as a candidate in the cliffside cave by the Man in Black ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse") While Jack initially accepted the role of protector, he soon relinquished it to Hurley. ("The End")
15-FORD

15 - FORD

Sawyer-mini

James Ford

Alive Sawyer met Jacob as a child at his parents' funeral. Jacob touched Sawyer's hand while handing him a pen, which Sawyer used to write his letter. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Sawyer was identified as a candidate in the cliffside cave by the Man in Black ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")
16-JARRAH

16 - JARRAH

Sayid-mini

Sayid Jarrah

Deceased Sayid met Jacob when his wife Nadia was murdered. Jacob touched Sayid's shoulder briefly. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Sayid was identified as a candidate by the Man in Black in the cliffside cave ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse") Sayid ended up sacrificing his life to save those of his friends by transporting a bomb away from them. ("The Candidate")
23-SHEPHARD

23 - SHEPHARD

Jack-mini

Jack Shephard

Deceased Jack met Jacob after completing his first successful surgery at St. Sebastian Hospital. Jacob offered Jack an Apollo bar that Jack had unsuccessfully tried to dislodge from the vending machine. Their fingers touched as Jacob passed the bar to Jack. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Jack was identified as a candidate by the Man in Black in the cliffside cave ("The Substitute"), and the name Shephard was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse") Jack was the only surviving candidate to accept Jacob's job and was given the role of the Island's protector by Jacob's ghost. ("What They Died For") The next day, Jack realized his true destiny was to sacrifice himself to save the Island. He offered the job of protector to Hurley, who reluctantly accepted. Jack later died from exposure to the electromagnetism at the Source after plugging it back in. ("The End")
42-KWON

42 - KWON

Jin-Sun-mini

Jin and/or Sun Kwon

Deceased Jin and Sun both met Jacob during their wedding when he congratulated them and advised them to keep their promises. Both were touched by Jacob simultaneously. The Man in Black indicated that one of them was a candidate but was unable to identify which one. ("The Substitute") Similarly, Aldo and Justin implied that Jin might be a candidate ("What Kate Does"), and Ilana indicated uncertainty about which one of the Kwons was the candidate. ("Dr. Linus") Jin and Sun ended up drowning together on Widmore's submarine. ("The Candidate") While Jacob confirmed to Kate that both shared the name on the wall, he crossed out Kate's name when she became a mother, leaving Sun's ultimate candidacy ambiguous. ("What They Died For")



Partial list of candidates[]

The names on this list come from screenshots of the cave ("The Substitute") and the lighthouse dial ("Lighthouse"), as well as prop pictures of the lighthouse dial that were released at auction. Therefore, whether or not some of the names are canon is disputed. For individual lists of candidates revealed during the show only, please see: Cliffside cave and The Lighthouse.

Number Name Source Information
1 SULLIVAN

Sullivan

Cave/Lighthouse Probably Sullivan, a survivor who most likely died when the remaining survivors got separated while the Island traveled through time.
2 LACOMBE

Lacombe

Cave/Lighthouse Probably Lacombe from the science expedition.
3 Grobler Lighthouse Unknown.
4 LOCKE

LOCKE

Cave/Lighthouse John Locke. Locke met Jacob after being pushed out of a window by his father. Jacob touched his shoulder and said that he was sorry that had happened to him. Locke's name was crossed out in the cave by the Man in Black. ("The Substitute") At first it was unknown whether Locke's name was in the lighthouse, as the entire compass rose was not shown. ("Lighthouse"). A picture provided for Lost: The Auction, revealed that his name was present, but it wasn't crossed out.
5 Barnes Lighthouse Only known character is Officer Barnes, the New South Wales (Australia) officer who dealt with Claire after Claire's car crashed with her and her mother inside it, resulting in her mother's comatose state. He was responsible for questioning Claire regarding the accident, but did not appear again. Possibly related to #17 and #43, or the same person.
6 Jensen Lighthouse Unknown.
7 Enright Lighthouse Unknown.
8 REYES

Reyes

Cave/Lighthouse Hugo Reyes. Jacob met Hurley upon Hurley's release from prison and talked him into booking passage on Ajira Flight 316. Jacob touched Hurley's chest when emphasizing the importance of the flight. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Hurley was identified as a candidate in the cliffside cave by the Man in Black ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")
9 Gunn Lighthouse Unknown.
10 MATTINGLEY

Mattingley

Cave/Lighthouse Probably the US army soldier whose uniform was stolen and used by an Other in 1954.
11 Lee Lighthouse Unknown. Possibly Jae Lee, Sun's lover
12 Foster Lighthouse Unknown.
13 Beckett Lighthouse Unknown.
14 PRYCE

Pryce

Cave/Lighthouse Probably Ryan Pryce, one of the Others whom Hurley ran over with a DHARMA van.
15 FORD Cave/Lighthouse James Ford. He met Jacob as a child at his parents' funeral. Jacob touched Sawyer when he handed him a pen, which Sawyer used to write his letter. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2"). Sawyer was identified as a candidate in the cliffside cave by the Man in Black ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")
16 JARRAH Cave/Lighthouse Sayid Jarrah. He met Jacob when his wife Nadia was murdered. Jacob touched Sayid's shoulder briefly. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Sayid was identified as a candidate by the Man in Black in the cliffside cave ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")
17 Barnes Lighthouse Only possible character is Officer Barnes, the New South Wales (Australia) officer who dealt with Claire after Claire's car crashed with her and her mother inside it, resulting in her mother's comatose state. He was responsible for questioning Claire regarding the accident, but did not appear again. Possibly related to #5 and #43, or the same person.
18 Kueffner Lighthouse Unknown.
19 Nguyen Lighthouse Unknown.
20 ROUSSEAU Cave/Lighthouse Danielle Rousseau. (Lost Encyclopedia)
21 McHenry Lighthouse Unknown.
22 Moorhead Lighthouse Unknown.
23 SHEPHARD Cave/Lighthouse Jack met Jacob after completing his first successful surgery at St. Sebastian Hospital. Jacob offered Jack an Apollo bar that Jack had unsuccessfully tried to dislodge from the vending machine. Their fingers touched as Jacob passed the bar to Jack. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Jack was identified as a candidate by the Man in Black in the cliffside cave ("The Substitute"), and the name Shephard was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")
24 Kluxen Lighthouse Unknown.
25 Asher Lighthouse Unknown.
26 Bozarth Lighthouse Unknown.
27 Dorrit Lighthouse Most likely Naomi Dorrit, the protector of the science team
28 Holland Lighthouse Unknown.
29 BRENNAN Cave Probably Brennan from the science expedition. Might also be Kate's friend Tom Brennan, who was with her when she was touched by Jacob. In the lighthouse, the name "Brennan" appears under a different number, 35; these might refer to the two characters separately.
30 Wade Lighthouse Unknown.
31 Toms Lighthouse Unknown.
31

32

RUTHERFORD Cave/Lighthouse Probably Shannon Rutherford. The name appears with the number 31 in the cave and with the number 32 in the lighthouse.
33 Novak Lighthouse Unknown.
34 Grimaldi Lighthouse Unknown.
35 Brennan Lighthouse Probably Brennan from the science expedition. Might also be Kate's friend Tom Brennan, who was with her when she was touched by Jacob. In the cave, the name "BRENNAN" appears under a different number, 29; these might refer to the two characters separately.
36 Syzmanksi Lighthouse Unknown.
37 Iorres Lighthouse Unknown.
38 Lindstrom Lighthouse Unknown.
39 Mortoka Lighthouse Unknown.
40 Dowsen Lighthouse Unknown.
41 Turner Lighthouse Unknown.
42 KWON Cave/Lighthouse Sun-Hwa Kwon and Jin-Soo Kwon both met Jacob during their wedding when he congratulated them and advised them to keep their promises. Both were touched by Jacob simultaneously. The Man in Black indicated that one of them was a candidate but was unable to identify which one. ("The Substitute") Similarly, Aldo and Justin implied that Jin may be a candidate ("What Kate Does"), and Ilana indicated uncertainty about which one of the Kwons was the candidate. ("Dr. Linus") While Jacob confirmed to Kate that Jin and Sun were originally both candidates, his crossing off of Kate's name due to her status as a mother makes Sun's ultimate candidacy ambiguous. ("What They Died For")
43 Barnes Lighthouse Only possible character is Officer Barnes, the New South Wales (Australia) officer who dealt with Claire after Claire's car crashed with her and her mother inside it, resulting in her mother's comatose state. He was responsible for questioning Claire regarding the accident, but did not appear again. Possibly related to #5 and #17, or the same person.
44 Martinez Lighthouse Unknown.
45 Latta Lighthouse Unknown.
46 Osalka Lighthouse Unknown.
47 Gupta Lighthouse Unknown.
48 Stanhope Lighthouse Probably Harper Stanhope or Goodwin Stanhope.
49 Meyers Lighthouse Unknown.
50 Gowner Lighthouse Unknown.
51 AUSTEN

Austen

Cave/Lighthouse Kate Austen, who met Jacob as a child when she was caught trying to shoplift a lunchbox. Jacob helped her by paying for the lunchbox and then touched her on the nose. Sawyer told Kate that he saw her surname in the cave, and that it was crossed out. ("The Candidate"), and out of show pictures confirmed this. However, the name "Austen" was seen in the lighthouse and was not crossed out. ("Lighthouse") Jacob later confirmed that he crossed out Kate's name only because she became a mother and that the job was still open to her if she wanted it. ("What They Died For")
52 Birn Lighthouse Unknown.
53 Driscall Lighthouse Unknown.
54 Olarti Lighthouse Unknown.
55 Kennedy Lighthouse Unknown.
56 Hansen Lighthouse Unknown. Possibly spelled "Haasra" or "Haasea".
57 Grimwault Lighthouse Unknown.
58 BURKE Cave/Lighthouse Probably Juliet Burke.
59 Suzuki Lighthouse Unknown. Being one out of two Japanese surnames in the list (the other being #114), might be Dogen.
60 Kysea Lighthouse Unknown. Possibly spelled "Kyska".
61 Davies Lighthouse Unknown.
62 Inman Lighthouse Probably Kelvin Inman.
64 GOLDSTEIN Cave Unknown.
73 COSTA Cave Unknown.
76 EKO Lighthouse Probably Mr. Eko.
77 FRANETZKI Cave Unknown.
90 TROUPE Cave Probably Gary Troup, a deceased Oceanic survivor and author of Bad Twin.
93 Luttwig Lighthouse Unknown.
94 Cohen Lighthouse Unknown.
95 Pollema Lighthouse Unknown.
96 Greeson Lighthouse Unknown.
97 Pallison Lighthouse Unknown.
98 Horton Lighthouse Unknown. Possibly related to #112.
99 Goodson Lighthouse Unknown.
100 Bardfield Lighthouse Unknown.
101 FARADAY Cave/Lighthouse Probably Daniel Faraday.
102 Montand Lighthouse Probably Montand from Rousseau's team.
103 Horsman Lighthouse Unknown.
104 Lewis Lighthouse Probably Charlotte Lewis, or her parents David and Jeanette. In the cave, "LEWIS" appears with the number 140.
105 Onaa Lighthouse Unknown.
106 Sroczynski Lighthouse Unknown.
107 Thomson Lighthouse Unknown.
108 WALLACE Cave/Lighthouse Unknown.
109 Friendly Lighthouse Probably Tom Friendly.
110 Spotts Lighthouse Unknown.
111 Klein Lighthouse Unknown.
112 Horton Lighthouse Unknown. Possibly related to #98.
113 Worden Lighthouse Unknown.
114 Yamada Lighthouse Unknown. Being one out of two Japanese surnames in the list (the other being #59), might be Dogen.
115 BARGAS Cave/Lighthouse Unknown.
116 LAMBERT Cave/Lighthouse Unknown.
117 LINUS Cave/Lighthouse Probably Ben Linus or his father Roger Linus.
118 Chaver Lighthouse Unknown.
119 ALMEIDA Cave/Lighthouse Unknown.
120 RODRIGUEZ Cave/Lighthouse Unknown.
121 Nielson Lighthouse Unknown.
122 Freed Lighthouse Unknown.
123 Ling Lighthouse Unknown.
124 DAWSON Cave/Lighthouse Probably Michael Dawson.
125 Owens Lighthouse Unknown.
126 Renti Lighthouse Unknown.
127 Mora Lighthouse Unknown.
128 Paddock Lighthouse Unknown.
129 Campbell Lighthouse Unknown. Possibly Brother Campbell?
130 Tillman Lighthouse Unknown.
131 Jackson Lighthouse Possibly Scott Jackson
132 Storm Lighthouse Unknown.
133 Weil Lighthouse Unknown.
134 Gorieta Lighthouse Unknown.
135 Ortiz Lighthouse Likely Emmanuel Rafael Ortiz
136 Paris Lighthouse Unknown.
137 Flynn Lighthouse Unknown.
138 Allen Lighthouse Unknown.
139 Costello Lighthouse Unknown.
140 LEWIS Cave/Lighthouse Probably Charlotte Lewis, or her parents David and Jeanette. In the lighthouse, "Lewis" appears with the number 104.
141 Drummond Lighthouse Unknown.
142 Sw…. Lighthouse Unknown.
143 Sh… Lighthouse Unknown.
144 Lin Lighthouse Unknown.
145 Mabry Lighthouse Unknown.
146 Baker Lighthouse Unknown.
147 Lord Lighthouse Unknown.
171 STRAUME Cave Probably Miles Straume or Lara Chang (who likely took the Straume name after leaving the Island).
195 PACE Cave Probably Charlie Pace.
197 SHECKLER Cave Unknown.
202 HARGGUS Cave Unknown.
222 O'TOOLE Cave Unknown.
226 CARLYLE Cave Probably Boone Carlyle.
231 AMISTAD Cave Unknown.
233 JONES Cave Probably the US army soldier whose uniform was stolen and used by Charles Widmore in 1954.
251 YARIS Cave Unknown.
269 GARNER Cave Unknown.
272 ORALINGO Cave Unknown.
282 AGUILA Cave Unknown.
285 JENKINS Cave Probably Steve Jenkins, an Oceanic Flight 815 survivor who died in the flaming arrow attack.
291 DOMINGO Cave Unknown.
301 MARS Cave Probably Edward Mars, a survivor who died shortly after the crash.
313 LITTLETON Cave Probably Claire Littleton or Aaron Littleton.
317 CUNNINGHAM Cave Probably the US army soldier whose uniform was stolen and used by an Other in 1954.
321 FERNANDEZ Cave Probably Nikki Fernandez who was on board Oceanic Flight 815 but later killed.
335 HENDERSON Cave Probably Rose (Henderson) Nadler
337 MARTIN Cave Probably Karl Martin, the "Other" who was dating Alex Rousseau.
346 GRANT Cave Unknown.
355 Young Lighthouse Unknown.
356 Hunter Lighthouse Probably the male flight attendant.
358 King Lighthouse Unknown.
359 Gilbert Lighthouse Unknown.
360 Fisher Lighthouse Unknown.
CHANG Cave Probably Pierre Chang, or Lara Chang or Miles Straume (likely born as Miles Chang).
DAVISON Cave Unknown.
GOODSPEED Cave Probably one of the many Goodspeeds: Horace, Amy, Olivia, or Ethan.
PICKETT Cave Probably Danny Pickett or Colleen Pickett.
REYNOLDS Cave Unknown.

Trivia[]

  • Of the original survivors of Flight 815 who are candidates, only Jin (assuming that he is a candidate) never succeeded in leaving the Island since his arrival.
    • This is presuming only the explicitly confirmed candidates count as many other survivors have last names on the cave walls (such as Carlyle and Rutherford} and never left the island but the names were never confirmed to refer to them.
  • The word "Candidate" is derived from the Latin word "Candida", which means "white" or "pure".


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