Eyring and Uchdorf currently are #2 and #3 in church hierarchy. But when Monson dies, Packer goose-steps over them to claim the big chair. So what happens to Eyring and Uchdorf? Are they in the unemployment line? Do they stay on as councilors in Packer's first presidency? Do they draw straws to see who goes back into the quorum? Or does Packer chose his own henchmen from the quorum and both Eyring and Uchdorf go back to apostleship?

It's all about how long someone has been an apostle. Monson got the presidency by virtue of being there the longest. (He was made an apostle while still rather young.) His counselors are technically on loan from the apostles. When Monson dies, they go back in the seniority line. The new president chooses whatever counselors he wants from the apostles.

I believe it was mentioned that there (rarely) were counselors who weren't members of the Big 12.

Doesn't matter;

a) We know it's a Hoax
b) they can (and do) skip over their own rules Any Time they want to, give the silliest of reasons/excuses when they do should they feel anyone needs an explanation.

I think once a 12 was ex'd, later reinstated, but lost his place in line...!Darn!

You are thinking of Orson Pratt - he didn't actually get ex'd as I recall. Basically he and Brigham Young had a MAJOR blowout of the Adam God Theory. Orson Pratt was strongly opposed to it. Brigham Young said well I'm the prophet and since you dare agree with me you will be excommunicated. Orson Pratt decided to tow the line, fall in line, and apologize. But BY couldn't very well have the next "prophet" over turning his greatest contribution to Mormon theology and promoted Pratt down the line far enough to ensure he would never become prophet. (That's the story as I remember it.)

Yah cuz don't you know that who ever has been there the longest is DEFINITELY the one that is most worthy to be prophet... but only cuz he's kept the secrets the longest. Lol ;-)

Here's a few details:

When a president is releases the councilors our automatically released as well. This works the same way for all presidencies in the church - from Deacon's, Beehive's etc.

The next church president is always the current president of the quorum of the 12 apostles - which is always the most senior still living apostle - the one who was called first.

In the case the that president of the quorum of the 12 apostles is in the 1st presidency (as was the case of Monson with Hinckley) the most senior apostle is is still the president of the quorum of the twelve. However the member in the 1st presidency doesn't fulfill those duties and the most senior apostle not in the 1st presidency becomes the "acting president" of the quorum of the twelve. As soon as the president dies, the 1st presidency is dissolved and the councilor immediately goes into his role as president of the quorum of the 12. So then he immediately becomes president of he church (the quorum of the 12 which has just temporarily become the quorum on the 14 then sustain him as the new president of the church.) Theoretically they could vote not to sustain him, but it could really never be anything other than unanimous - anything else would be pretty much apostasy - it's kind of like Saddam Husein's "free" elections.

An interesting question is how select a new apostle - once that selection is made it's all on auto-pilot for the next president based on how long you live.

Also possibly of interest is that Orson Pratt should have been the 3rd president of the church instead of John Taylor. However he and Brigham Young did not get along well - largely over disputes of Young's preaching of the Adam/God theory. Young demoted Pratt's seniority as an apostle.


Now if only God had thought to reveal that before JS was killed it would have prevented a 3 year succession crisis and the church splitting into 3 major parts...

If you assume they will all die at 90 years old (which of course won't happen, but in predictions you have to make some kind of assumption), this is the list of future prophets, with how long they will preside:

Thomas S. Monson (Present - 2017)
Dallin H. Oaks (2017 - 2022)
Robert D. Hales (Dies before he can be sustained)
Jeffrey R. Holland (2022 - 2030)
*Henry B. Eyring dies in 2023 and is replaced in the FP
*Dieter F. Uchtdorf dies in 2030 and is replaced in the FP
David A Bednar (2030 - 2042)

Followed by future men not-yet-apostles