Again, my count for the acknowledged Oceanic 6 so far:
Hurley
Jack
Kate
Sayid
Sun

I don't think we can count Aaron since he wasn't on the roster of Oceanic 6 and he didn't pay for a seat.

Don't forget, we don't know who coined the phrase 'Oceanic 6'. It could simply be a title given them because of their connection with AND association to Oceanic 815. So, by that rationale, Aaron could still be called one of the 6, as could Desmond.
The phrase 'Oceanic 5 + 1' doesn't quite slip off the tongue so easily. Or, to put it another way, it isn't as media friendly. And we all know how much the media like to give things pithy and snappy titles, regardless of how accurate that title might be.

... I wonder why only 6 leave the island and the rest would stay. And how and why did Ben leave the island?

Great questions, as yet unanswered.

I could have sworn I saw it recently...like Season 3...I will have to go back and watch it again. And Hurley's car chase arrest was filmed...remember there was a guy standing in the background with a video camera.

That guy was, as Paul R said, Hurley's former boss at the chicken place and also the fellow standing next to Hurley when the meteor hit Hurley's new chicken place and smashed it along with Tricia Tanaka.

No what I'm saying is that I don't think anyone on that island would have "visitors" (for lack of a beter word) at his/her funeral. Who would come see Claire now that Charlie is dead? Locke? Sayid? Sawyer? See what I mean? No one had anyone to begin with, so what's the big deal that no one would show up to the funeral?

Good point, but I would think if one of the Oceanic 6 were in the coffin, at least the media would be there and others might be interested in stopping by. Michael, if he survives whatever hell he's gotten himself into with Ben, would not be someone who would be mourned by Jack or Kate, and he might not ever reveal that he survived Oceanic 815, given that he killed 2 people in cold blood on the Island. Remember that's what Ben told him as he put Michael and Walt in that little boat and sent them away.

[SIZE="3"]Yeah, but Aaron was on the plane.[/SIZE]

Yeah, but do we know what story Kate has told the world about Aaron? Do we know that Kate has acknowledged that the child came from the Island? Do we even know for sure that Kate's Aaron is the same baby as Claire's Aaron? We don't really know who Aaron is, yet.

Yeah, but do we know what story Kate has told the world about Aaron? Do we know that Kate has acknowledged that the child came from the Island? Do we even know for sure that Kate's Aaron is the same baby as Claire's Aaron? We don't really know who Aaron is, yet.

It's really mean of Kate not letting Jack see Aaron, considering Jack is Aaron's nephew and Kate is jsut some scummy criminal.

When Kate was making a big deal out of keeping Aaron a secret, I figured he was a mutant, or like that creepy talking Bene Gesserit baby from Dune. . . I wonder if he can summon images from books like Walt can?

I took this bit from lostpedia:

• Aaron was revealed to be in Kate's care at the end of "Eggtown". He was not yet born when the flight crashed, but the public would consider him a "surviving passenger" of it. He has not been specifically referred to as one of the six, but there are no other viable candidates for the last position. Furthermore, Jack mentioned in his testimony in "Eggtown" that there were 'eight of us that survived the crash' and 'two didn't make it'. But since Aaron was not yet born at the time of the actual crash, it would seem weird to already count him among the 'eight that survived'. So that would suggest that there were six living survirors, and Aaron was added later. NOTE: The official ABC promo for "Eggtown" claimed that another member of the Oceanic Six would be revealed in that episode. Since Kate was already semi-confirmed as per "Through the Looking Glass", this could be interpreted as referring to
  
• Aaron instead. Furthermore, the ABC promo for "Ji Yeon" claimed that the last of the Oceanic Six would be revealed in that episode, thereby suggesting that all the other members of the group had already been revealed by that point. Then again, the promo monkeys don't always know what they're talking about...
  
  
• Ji-Yeon Kwon, the daughter of Sun and Jin, would seem to have almost as good a claim to the title of "Oceanic Something" as Aaron. However, since the phrase 'Oceanic 6' would have been created by the media at the time of their implied resue, it is unlikely that Ji-Yeon, born in Korea after the rescue, would be included in the six. ("Ji Yeon")
  
  
• Michael could be the sixth member, as he is already on the freighter and was a valid passenger of Flight 815.
  
  
• Ben returned to civilization, but he was not on the flight, so even if known to the public he probably would not be considered an Oceanic survivor. ("The Economist") He has not been referred to as one of the Six.
  
  
• Desmond told Charlie that he had seen a flash of Claire and Aaron getting into a helicopter and leaving the Island, ("Greatest Hits") and Aaron has been seen off the Island, but Claire has not been seen or referred to in any flashforward.
  

No what I'm saying is that I don't think anyone on that island would have "visitors" (for lack of a beter word) at his/her funeral. Who would come see Claire now that Charlie is dead? Locke? Sayid? Sawyer? See what I mean? No one had anyone to begin with, so what's the big deal that no one would show up to the funeral?

I think that pretty much all of the survivors would go to any of the other's funerals. (And I don't mean The Others funerals but the others....:confused:!) They may have only known each other a short time, but in that time, a very strong bond has grown between them, regardless of whatever falling out has happened between them all.
That said, now that we know there are only six 'survivors', I guess it would be easier to make an educated guess as to who's in the coffin, based solely on who would or wouldn't go to the funeral.
I think the only person who nobody would want to go to a funeral for would be Ben. And yes, I'm including (and eliminating) Michael in that thought process.
Yes, Michael made some terrible decisions. But don't forget why: he wanted his son back and he thought the only way to get him was to get Ben out and if that meant killing a couple of people that he'd known only a few days, then so be it. It doesn't excuse his actions, but it does go some way to explaining them.
So, of the confimed six, I think that, at the vey least, Sun would have gone to Michael's funeral. They were pretty close - and don't forget she killed on the island too, which would possibly make her more understanding of his actions.
Ben is the most likely coffin inhabitant. But then he's got out of so many tight spots and seems to have allies around every corner, so who really knows? It could even be someone we've yet to meet!

Is Michael really Ben's 'Man on the Boat'?
I think maybe not. It would be just like Lost to hand us Michael on a plate, letting us believe that he's the man, when in fact the writers have someone else lined up as their Big Reveal.
But who else could it be? I've no idea, but I'd like it to be Kelvin. But then, the freighter isn't big - so maybe it's someone we've already seen, but who we don't know, or rather, wouldn't recognise if we saw him/her. I've wracked my brains but can think of only one person who's been mentioned that we haven't seen: Radzinsky. Anyone else have any possibles?

They may have only known each other a short time, but in that time, a very strong bond has grown between them, regardless of whatever falling out has happened between them all.
That said, now that we know there are only six 'survivors', I guess it would be easier to make an educated guess as to who's in the coffin, based solely on who would or wouldn't go to the funeral.
I think the only person who nobody would want to go to a funeral for would be Ben. And yes, I'm including (and eliminating) Michael in that thought process.

It might be a bit early to assess this sort of thing --- Whereas at any time during season 1 or 2 I would have agreed with you, right now there is a serious amount of fear/distrust/hate between Jack and Locke and their respective gangs. Locke is currently setting himself up to be a very unpopular person, and right now I could easily imagine that if it were Locke in the box, nobody would bother turning up to say goodbye.

Is Michael really Ben's 'Man on the Boat'?
I think maybe not. It would be just like Lost to hand us Michael on a plate, letting us believe that he's the man, when in fact the writers have someone else lined up as their Big Reveal.
But who else could it be? I've no idea, but I'd like it to be Kelvin. But then, the freighter isn't big - so maybe it's someone we've already seen, but who we don't know, or rather, wouldn't recognise if we saw him/her. I've wracked my brains but can think of only one person who's been mentioned that we haven't seen: Radzinsky. Anyone else have any possibles?

All that's left of Radzinsky is a stain on the ceiling of The Swan. Whereas we may yet see more of him in flashback, or as a time travelling ghost thing, I doubt he could be a spy on a boat from the real world.

It would be just like Lost to hand us ________, letting us believe that ______, when in fact the writers have someone else lined up as their Big Reveal.

This is exactly my line of reasoning whenever something appears to be obvious.

It might be a bit early to assess this sort of thing --- Whereas at any time during season 1 or 2 I would have agreed with you, right now there is a serious amount of fear/distrust/hate between Jack and Locke and their respective gangs. Locke is currently setting himself up to be a very unpopular person, and right now I could easily imagine that if it were Locke in the box, nobody would bother turning up to say goodbye.

I agree with you about Locke. I don't think many people would show at his funeral. But I don't agree that there is much animosity between the rest; they just see things differently.

It's really mean of Kate not letting Jack see Aaron, considering Jack is Aaron's nephew and Kate is jsut some scummy criminal.

When Kate was making a big deal out of keeping Aaron a secret, I figured he was a mutant, or like that creepy talking Bene Gesserit baby from Dune. . . I wonder if he can summon images from books like Walt can?

I took this bit from lostpedia:

• Aaron was revealed to be in Kate's care at the end of "Eggtown". He was not yet born when the flight crashed, but the public would consider him a "surviving passenger" of it. He has not been specifically referred to as one of the six, but there are no other viable candidates for the last position. Furthermore, Jack mentioned in his testimony in "Eggtown" that there were 'eight of us that survived the crash' and 'two didn't make it'. But since Aaron was not yet born at the time of the actual crash, it would seem weird to already count him among the 'eight that survived'. So that would suggest that there were six living survirors, and Aaron was added later. NOTE: The official ABC promo for "Eggtown" claimed that another member of the Oceanic Six would be revealed in that episode. Since Kate was already semi-confirmed as per "Through the Looking Glass", this could be interpreted as referring to
  Aaron instead. Furthermore, the ABC promo for "Ji Yeon" claimed that the last of the Oceanic Six would be revealed in that episode, thereby suggesting that all the other members of the group had already been revealed by that point. Then again, the promo monkeys don't always know what they're talking about...
  
  
• Ji-Yeon Kwon, the daughter of Sun and Jin, would seem to have almost as good a claim to the title of "Oceanic Something" as Aaron. However, since the phrase 'Oceanic 6' would have been created by the media at the time of their implied resue, it is unlikely that Ji-Yeon, born in Korea after the rescue, would be included in the six. ("Ji Yeon")

This might imply that Claire and/or Jin were among the 2 crash survivors who died. Although the writers have said that their identities aren't important.

How old did Aaron look to everyone at the end of Eggtown, btw? He seemed to have aged quite a bit since we last saw him on the island. Several months to a year?

Michael could be the sixth member, as he is already on the freighter and was a valid passenger of Flight 815.

Ben returned to civilization, but he was not on the flight, so even if known to the public he probably would not be considered an Oceanic survivor. ("The Economist") He has not been referred to as one of the Six.

Desmond told Charlie that he had seen a flash of Claire and Aaron getting into a helicopter and leaving the Island, ("Greatest Hits") and Aaron has been seen off the Island, but Claire has not been seen or referred to in any flashforward.