The Grey's Anatomy Death Watch: Handicapping the Field

By now, we've all heard the rumors from E! Online's Kristin Veitch and the ominous, foreboding hints from Shonda Rhimes. While you can only put too much stock in spoilers, we can't escape the weight of this bombshell:

Someone will die before this three-part story arc is over.

Now, it's the opinion of the Insider that Shonda & Co. are yanking our chains a bit. What if someone dies, then is revived five minutes later? Could it be that there's a death at SGH that shocks us, but a primary cast member isn't the one who passes away?

Who the heck knows. That's why it's so fun to watch! If we had to put money on it, we'd bet that the terrific ensemble cast remains intact. But just for fun, we've put together some odds on who we think is most likely to enter the great beyond, if that's indeed what's happening tonight...

Ellis Grey - Even
Hey, we've all gotta go sometime.

Izzie Stevens - 3:2
We know Denny comes back, right? And that he's not the only one we see? Could Izzie be reunited with Denny Duquette in the afterlife?

Just a theory. As terrific as Izzie is on the show, she's been lost from day one. Stevens being killed while trying to save the patient trapped under the car would almost be appropriate, and that ferry boat she's on looks like it could explode at any moment.

Richard Webber - 5:2
He had planned to retire anyway, is reeling from Adele leaving him and has lately contemplated his legacy at Seattle Grace. He's also a little older. Dr. Webber passing away would make the race for Chief of Surgery even more intense, and it's a development that certainly isn't that big of a stretch (though we really hope he stays)!

Meredith Grey - 3:1
We really can't see Meredith dying. However, she's the only one missing - and sinking in the ocean - at the beginning of tonight's episode.

Derek Shepherd - 5:1
Okay, there's no way Shonda would take McDreamy from us. Would she? We'd put the odds at 10,000:1, except for Rhimes' ominous warning that the events tonight and next week will be the last thing we'd ever expect.

This would qualify.

Mark Sloan - 10:1
He'd be the easiest to get rid of in terms of continuity. Steaminess aside, Mark hasn't brought much to the table since he joined Seattle Grace as a full-time attending.

But he already faked us out with by almost quitting once, and we aren't convinced they'd have him leave the show without him contributing more to it first. Odds are, the best is yet to come from Eric Dane's Dr. Sloan.

Alex Karev - 20:1
He's becoming a bigger, better person, and a more complex character every episode. Besides his budding infatuation with Addison, Alex has really grown as a medical practitioner. The only problem could be if he keeps putting himself in harm's way to rescue people. That pylon was heavy!

Nurse Olivia - 25:1

She'd be easily replaced, that's for sure, and syphilis can be deadly if untreated. But surely there's some life left in this character - and would dispensing of such a minor, recurring bit player result in all this hype? If so, we want our money back.

George O'Malley - 50:1
Yes, we heard the rumor that T.R. Knight wants out. But we don't buy it. The transformation from the bumbling, grieving George to the more confident, married Dr. O'Malley is just beginning. He's been one of the focal points of the third season, and the death of Bambi would cripple everyone else. Meredith puts the Grey in Grey's Anatomy, but George is the glue.

Callie Torres - 75:1
Maybe a month ago it would have worked. But they're not going to kill George's father and his wife in the span of a few weeks.

Preston Burke - 100:1
A lot of people have speculated that Dr. Burke is the frontrunner in this undesirable category following the Isaiah Washington controversy. We highly doubt it. If he were going to be removed, it would have happened already. We also don't know how long ago these episodes were filmed. With a major life event on the horizon, and having already been shot at the end of Season 2, Preston seems an unlikely candidate to go.

Addison Montgomery - 125:1
She's still one of the characters whose life we know the least about outside Seattle Grace, and one of the emerging leaders of the surgical staff. All we know of Addison is her romantic entanglements. Our guess is the writers have a lot more planned for the ex-Shepherd.

Cristina Yang - 500:1
There's not a single reason we can think of why we would lose Cristina. Every member of the cast is great, but week in and week out, she remains one of the show's most compelling, entertaining characters.

Miranda Bailey - 2,000:1
Strong but all too human, she's the heir apparent to the Chief of Surgery position down the line, and the interns need their Nazi like never before. Besides, Chandra Wilson won the SAG Award!