Who will sit on the Iron Throne at the end of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones?’

“Who shot J.R. on ‘Dallas’?” “Who killed Laura Palmer on ‘Twin Peaks’? “Are the passengers on ‘Lost’ in purgatory?”

These are the questions TV viewers sought answers to in seasons past. The answers: Kristen, J.R.’s sister-in-law and mistress played by Mary Crosby; her father, Leland Palmer, played by Ray Wise; and NO! Lost  creator Carlton Cuse said the island was real as well as the adventures on it. The church scene at the end, where all the characters, gathered was heaven, he explained, where they all gathered after their deaths – whenever in their lives they actually died. Still confused? Join the club.

Today, the big TV question now is “Who will sit on the Iron Throne at the end of HBO’s Game of Thrones?” The answer will be known on May 19, hopefully with no lingering conflicts.

There is still time for you to get in on the action at Bovada sportsbook which is offering odds on who will rule Westeros at the end plus several other prop bets involving character deaths and relationships.

If you are an avid fan or just an occasional viewer you are well aware that with every episode that airs, the chances of who will end up ruler of Westeros in the end changes.

Things are very fluid in the seven kingdoms – and in fandom.

As it stands now on Bovada odds, the favorite is Bran Stark, the Three-Eyed Raven. Fans also are debating if he is The Lord Of Light, the guiding hand that led Arya Stark to kill the Night King.

Also high in contender status on Bovada is Gendry. Now that the skilled blacksmith has been non-bastardized and given Lord status, he could end up on the Iron Throne. Of course, for this to happen everyone else on this list would have to die in the next two episodes, and we all know that is well within “Game of Thrones” expectations. With everyone else gone, the people of Westeros might throw their support behind a familiar name: Baratheon. We’re actually leaning in o this choice, just because it is unexpected and we think “GOT” has one more “Red Wedding” scenario to play out.

A theory published in USA Today on who will sit on the throne is based on an algorithm creating a power ranking of contenders.

Daenerys Targaryen still sits at the top of the list, despite everything pretty much gone wrong since the Battle of Winterfell, including the errant take-out coffee cup in the celebration scene of Episode 5. Her slip in both power and possibly into fated madness doesn’t bode well for her ruling at the show’s conclusion.

Her nephew-lover Jon Snow (Aegon Targaryen) doesn’t seem to want the throne as much as she, even though his lineage shows he’s the one who should be sitting there. And after all the slip-of-the-lips revealing his secret right to the throne, creates quite a conflict as the series wraps up. And frankly, who wants a leader who can so easily abandon Ghost with nary a pat on the head. Yeah, we know that has nothing to do with nothing, but it ticked us off.

Many websites are throwing support behind Sansa Stark as the person who should rule Westeros. Over time Sansa has transformed from someone timid into someone with political savvy. She is a threat to Daenerys’s appetite for power and did a good job sharing Jon’s lineage “secret” to her supporters. Also, it seems she and Tyrion may be willing to give marriage another try which would be seen as an advantage. Showrunner D.B Weiss in a recap sees Sansa as strategically minded. “She’s a student of Littlefinger and she knows how information travels,” he wrote. “She can think many steps ahead into the game the way Littlefinger did and knows if she tells Tyrion, it’s almost impossible for Tyrion not to tell Varys.”

Another theory coming on strong and one that would likely leave fans in a tizzy is Cersei Lannister remaining in power. The fact that it would be devasting to the fanbase alone is likely enough of a reason for this not happen, but it doesn’t stop people from talking about it. Of course, Cersei had the perfect opportunity to take out Daenerys in “The Last of the Starks,” and didn’t do it – we guess because there are still two episodes to go. She has a strong army, Euron by her side against a depleted fighting force, one starving dragon, and leaders with a seemingly same agenda but conflicted family ties and issues. Who knows what any of them would do to Cersei if they ever got the opportunity to take action against her.

We are racing to the finale with many in contention .. who will win? If only George R.R. Martin had finished the books we wouldn’t be in this dilemma.