As we stand now, I think there is a higher possibility that McAlister was the real RJ and that part of the show is over, although I do also believe there is a decent chance it was another situation like the one with Timothy Carter, and RJ is still out there. I hope this is the case and at the end of the next episode we see Van Pelt and Rigsby dead (since we know they are leaving the show) under a RJ smiley face.
The rest of this post will focus on my thoughts assuming McAlister was RJ and the hunt is over.
Even though I thought the last episode was awful, and the whole story in season six felt very rushed I think the mistake was made with the selection for the lists in season 7. I remember watching that episode and thinking to myself who the hell are some of these guys (McAlister and Smith) when their names were announced. If I was a writer on the show I would have selected the final 7 suspects to be the following, (in alphabetical order):
1) Bunting, Tolman - Probably too minor of a character only appearing in one episode to end up being RJ, but the intelligence he showed in that episode would have at least made him believable to be on the list. I loved the part of his episode of him and Jane playing chess without a board as it showed the true capability of their mind to memorize where every chess piece was and not forget.
2) Haffner, Ray - He has/was for the longest time one of my prime suspects for RJ. The scene of him sitting in the office with Cho always struck me as peculiar and suspicious. He asks Cho if Cho thinks Patrick is smarter than him, then asks Cho if he thinks Jane is smarter than Haffner himself. After Cho tells him that he does indeed think Patrick is smarter, Haffner gives a nice little half smile almost as if to say "yeah right" and then agrees with Cho.
3) Mars, Ellis - Like Bunting, maybe too minor of a character to be RJ, but there was a beautiful irony about him that I loved as a potential RJ. In his episode, Mars comes in as an aloof psychic who appears to be of minor intelligence. This is exactly the opposite of what we would expect RJ to be like and what a beautiful trick that would be on Patrick to carry yourself around him to fool him like that. The only thing that doesn't really fit with him is the fact that he is not the best looking of guys, and it is somewhat difficult to see women "falling in love with him" (especially a woman at the level of the gorgeous Emmanuelle Chriqui).
4) Mashburn, Walter - In his first episode he is almost taunting Patrick with a catch me if you can attitude. When it turns out later in the episode that he didn't commit the murder, I was sort of wondering if maybe he was talking about something else, aka he's Red John. Also his enormous wealth would make it a lot easier for him to accomplish some of the things RJ does. To make things even better with him as RJ is the fact that Lisbon slept with him and the irony/twist that would be.
5) Partridge, Brett - Don't really have to say much about why I included him on this list as many people have long suspected him. He's in the first episode, in that episode Jane describes RJ as a showman and Partridge is over the top in demonstrating how RJ killed the wife and doctor, and of course there is the voice comparison. But one of my favorite parts about this character is this. He appears in three episodes before season 6 and in each one he is collecting evidence at a supposed RJ murder scene. In the first two the murders turn out to not be committed by RJ, but at the scene he says they were (or he at leasts makes it apparent that he believes they were). In his third appearance he states that it's not a RJ scene, and it turns out that it is one. I've always thought it was odd (maybe suspicious) that he was wrong on all three.
6) Stiles, Brett - Leader of visualize to which RJ was once a part of. Appeared to be smart enough to be RJ and has disciples at visualize where he manipulates people like RJ does. He does seem a little old to be RJ, and after reading posts on here I like him better has RJ's dad/adopted dad, etc.
7) The last one I couldn't decide between Bertram and Virgil Minelli. I was leaning towards Bertram because he had some really creepy moments in season 6, but I would be fine with Minelli as well.
