Top 7 Lost Theories

What's up with that island? We Lost fans are becoming increasingly aware that all is not as it seems in the tropical paradise the castaways now call home. Web forums are buzzing with guesses about what's really happening on the island. Here's a look at some of the most popular theories among viewers.

SPOILER WARNING: The following is pure speculation, but it's possible that parts of these theories may turn out to be valid. So if you don't want to know, stop reading RIGHT NOW!

1) They're All DeadThe plane crash left no survivors, and the remaining 48 castaways are really just lost souls stuck in limbo, unable to move on until they make peace with themselves.
Why It's Good: If there was ever a group of people who have to work out their personal issues before passing on, it's these guys. Kate and Sawyer need to atone for their crimes, Jack has to make amends with his dad, Jin wants Sun's forgiveness, etc.
Why It's Stupid: If everyone's dead, are the people who continue to die "more dead?" And what about the people who croaked immediately after the crash? We're guessing the dude who got sucked into the jet engine didn't have enough time to do any serious soul cleansing.

2) They're Trapped in an Alternate RealityThe crash occurred because the plane flew through a wormhole, and the survivors are the only ones who made it into the next dimension.
Why It's Good: An alternate reality would also explain a lot of the weirdness. Perhaps the noises they keep hearing in the jungle are the sounds of the portal opening. It may also explain all of the incredible coincidences. Take Hurley's lottery jackpot, for example. The winning numbers are etched on Locke's mysterious hatch, and were in the transmission that led the French woman to the island. If you take them as longitude/latitude readings, they pinpoint a spot in Nigeria, which is the origin of the crashed plane Locke and Boone found. And if you check out the opposing coordinates, you'll notice they point to a spot in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which is where the survivors apparently crashed. And that's just the tip of the iceberg: There's a whole fan site devoted to the numbers connection.
Why It's Stupid: It's doubtful that Lost's creators would risk angering the audience by suddenly turning it into a sci-fi show.

3) It's Group Wish FulfillmentThe crash happened because they all wished for it.
Why It's Good: None of the survivors wanted to make it to their final destination when they boarded that plane. Kate was going to jail, Jack was headed to his dad's funeral, Claire was getting ready to give up her baby.
Why It's Stupid: If they had the power to bring down the plane, they'd also have the power to make a rescue crew appear (or at least an endless supply of toilet paper).

4) It's a Real-Life ScenarioAll of the above theories are the product of viewers with too much time on their hands. It's just a show about a group of people on an ordinary island, trying to survive.Why It's Good: We've grown to love these characters, and if it turns out that they're all dead or imaginary, ABC will have a lot of angry viewers on their hands.Why It's Stupid: Coincidences are fine, but there's too many for this theory to make sense. As co-creator Damon Lindelof told Entertainment Weekly: "The last thing we would ever do on Lost is be illogical."

5) It's All a DreamThe plane crash never really happened; we're just witnessing the dream of someone who ate too much spicy food before bed.
Why It's Good: A commercial jetliner crashes into the ocean, and 48 people manage to walk away relatively unscratched? The implausibility of it all lends credit to the theory that it's not really happening. Plus, dreams are where the impossible comes to life: You can chat with your dead dad, find that long-lost guitar you've been searching for, and step out of your wheelchair.
Why It's Stupid: Who's the person dreaming all this messed up stuff? Is it just a housewife in the mid-west fantasizing about a shirtless Matthew Fox?

6) It's All About the BoyWalt may look like an innocent little kid, but he's really controlling the group.
Why It's Good: We already know that Walt is no ordinary child. He reads a comic book about a polar bear, and suddenly there's one terrorizing the island. He does a homework assignment on birds, and then one crashes into the window. Plus, "the Others" kidnapped him in the first season's finale.
Why It's Stupid: If Walt is controlling them, it appears that he has no idea. Also, Walt doesn't seem very happy about certain things that are happening on the island (like getting kidnapped).

7) They're Part of a Government ExperimentThe castaways are secretly being observed by a government/military group.
Why It's Good: The crash is a great way to study how humans react under extreme circumstances. The mysterious French woman could be working for them, acting as their on-ground puppet master.
Why It's Stupid: An elaborate government hoax would be pretty lame. Plus, the flashbacks continue to reveal connections the survivors had before the crash (i.e.- Sawyer met Jack's dad, Jack was in the ER when Shannon's father died, etc), that couldn't have been planned by a shadowy Big Brother.