Jack Already Pulled the Cork by BruthaDez

In episode 9, we were told by Jacob that the island acts as a cork to keep MIB/Smokey/Evil bottled up from the rest of the world. If the island is a cork, Jack/Juliette has already "pulled" it when Jughead was detonated and the island was destroyed. Thus, the ALT reality (which was created with Jughead's detonation) would be the reality in which the cork/island no longer existed and MIB/Smokey/Evil is free to roam.

The problem with the idea that Evil is roaming in the ALT reality (due to the lack of cork/island) is that the Losties' lives in the ALT are in many cases happier and healthier than island life. Yes, their lives are not perfect. But, I would constitute Jack's reconnection with his son, Ben's protection of Alex, Locke's healthy relationship with Helen, and Sawyer's friendship with Miles as improvements to running around the island.

However, what if the flashbacks in the season 5 finale, which showcased Jacob touching each of the candidates, actually took place in the ALT timeline rather than island timeline? Could Jacob have been protecting the losties in the ALT reality from the Evil they unwittingly unleashed on themselves when they blew up Jughead and destroyed the cork/island?