Ben is a Candidate by Ricardus Alpert

IMO, Ben is one of the remaining Candidates. What makes me think so? Well, there's evidence for that all through S6. Allow me to exmaine it and explain. The first thing that Ben has in common with the Candidates is the fact that Jacob touched him. Not only that, but he touched Ben at a VERY significant point- When he was in death's door. Clearly he has something important planned for Ben. Another point that people have neglected is the fact that MIB has never attempted to kill Ben. It can be assumed that The "Rules" prevent MIB from killing the Candidates, and MIB certainly had a chance to kill Ben in The Statue. It's possible that he simply kept him alive as a useful ally, but at the moment I'm leaning towards thinking that he can't kill Ben, because of his Candidacy.

Do you remember what MIB offered Ben in exchange for his loyalty in "Dr. Linus"? Here's what he said: "I'm gathering a group to leave the island for good, but once we're gone, someone's going to need to be in charge of the island." That sounds EXACTLY like he's offering Ben Jacob's job, as Ben himself said Jacob is "In charge" of the island, and MIB said Jacob thought of himself as the island's "Protector". Who are being groomed to replace Jacob? That's right. The Candidates.

Last but not least, the undeniable fact is the name "Linus" appears BOTH in the Cave, and in the Lighouse. It is crossed off, but until we can determine the significance of being crossed off, Ben can be considered a Candidate IMO. Ilana even refers to him as "Linus" in "Sundown", just like she refers to all of the Candidates by their last names.

Comments would be appreciated.