"The Candidates" were never revealed to "The Others" by Fed23

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it true that all the "candidates" were never on any lists made by the others? The most important people to come to the island we're never on any lists in the first place.

(So important that Jacobs earliest mind game was imposing the numbers on those on and around the island decades before the representatives of those numbers actually arrived in the first place)

This leads to even more questions like: What is the REAL role of the others besides asking dumb questions, walking around barefoot and shooting/hitting things? Do the others actually have a clue of what's happening around them? Was their entire purpose built around making sure that the "candidates" destinies were to come true - and that's it? Why would Jacob wast generations of people just so that the candidates could come to the island? Does that still make him "good"?

(We know now that they've always been out of the loop proven by MIB's references to Alpert about being out of those "chains", and being kept in the dark by Jacob)

My theory is that the "real list" was found in Hurley's guitar case - listing out the true candidates from the other expendable people that were brought back on the flight as well (perhaps Kate is expendable - perhaps not). This could also be why it's so dang important that everyone stay inside the temple, which didn't work out too well...(they may be trying to make sure that no other candidates die, and being inside the temple is the only way to know for a fact that they'll be around to choose to become the new Jacob or not)

Another thing - the numbers have been a part of "the candidates" lives subtly throughout the course of the show. I wonder if the numbers will still be part of the flash sideways since Jacob may not have ever placed the "curse" on "the candidates" and branded the numbers into their lives...

Thanks Darlton, now I already want to re-watch the entire series, even before the end of this season. Geez.