‘Desperate Housewives’ fans want to know which one will die

The guessing game is on.

Fans of “Desperate Housewives” are burning up the Internet trying to figure out which – if any – of the five key women die on this Sunday’s episode.

Members of the cast, the show’s producers and the network’s promos have all said someone would die, but gave no details.

The clues left behind last Sunday suggest that Nicollette Sheridan’s sexpot Edie Britt could be the target. But there were signs that another cast member could go, too.

For example, Mrs. Solis (Lupe Ontiveros), who caught her daughter-in-law Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) in bed with her boy toy, was run over by a car as the episode ended.

And there’s Felicity Huffman’s pill-popping Lynette Scavo, who is trying to deal with her unruly kids and a distant husband.

“I just want to say that I’ll be furious if the show kills off Nicollette Sheridan’s character,” wrote a fan at ABC’s Web site. “She’s the main reason I’m watching the show, even though she’s had little air time.”

“I agree, the only one I would want gone is (Gabrielle),” wrote another fan at ABC. “I don’t think she adds a lot to the show, all she does is sleep around.”

As anyone who has watched a bit of television knows, producers and networks are fond of misdirecting viewers to make the surprise that much more fun.

“Lies are revealed,” the voiceover said on Sunday’s promo. “Secrets are exposed. And one desperate housewife will be gone … forever.”

No matter who gets sent away, “Housewives” continues to be the hottest new show of the season.

It was seen by 24.6 million people last Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research. That’s second only to the Nov. 7 episode, which averaged 24.9 million viewers.