Editor's note: As the action heats up on the CBS series "Survivor: Samoa," we thought it would be interesting to ask former contestant Erinn Lobdell, the third-place finisher on last season's "Survivor: Tocantins," for her insights on the competition. Erinn, who grew up in Waukesha and now lives and works Downtown, will provide analysis following each episode through the end of the series.

All right folks, lets talk strategy.

This week, we are starting to see the game change. As numbers are starting to dwindle, the castaways see a tribal merge on the horizon and they are starting to play accordingly. There is a very basic strategy in the beginning stages of the game. Early on, the vote is based on keeping a strong, cohesive group that can win challenges. Survivor 101 says you vote out the weak, the lazy, the hell-raisers and the "just-don't-fit-ins."

The hope is that you are left with a tight-knit group that you can trust to protect you once the tribes merge. It is also advantageous to go into the merge with more people on your tribe, as it will give you a voting majority.

Last night's episode was a good one. It was chock full of incredibly strategic moves, and it is becoming clear that one of these tribes is doing things right.

Over in Galu's camp, Erik is really starting to emerge as a player in this game. He has a Hidden Immunity Idol, which -- when used correctly -- is like liquid gold. In a brilliant move that I felt was far beyond his seemingly dim mental capacity, he has Shambo elected as the new chief.

The hope is that this show of faith will secure her as the fifth and final member of his alliance, giving them the majority. It's a pretty good place to be. "Survivor" is a numbers game and Erik is on the right side of the numbers. Headed to a merge with a stacked alliance on a stacked tribe, it's as though he could have full control over the way the game plays out.

There is something to be said about Foa Foa, though. They just can't seem to catch a break when it comes to challenges. To lose eight out of ten challenges has got to be incredibly discouraging, but with each vote they trim the fat. The tougher "Survivor" gets, the tighter your bond becomes.

At this point, these four are probably liable to walk through fire for each other. Even Russell. Probably not to save anyone's life, but everyone seemed to like it when he said he was a firefighter and it would surely win him some jury votes. And, we cant ignore the fact that he may have had a major pull with Laura, tugging on her religious heartstrings like that! Downright shameless, but smart.

Each tribe truly has an advantage going into the merge, but it is all about how you play the game from here on out. On the surface, it looks as though Erik's plan could really work. Except that he is kind of a tool. Voting Shambo to be the new leader clearly had the girls' heads spinning. Supposedly, no one even likes Sham, yet she emerges victorious in a 30-second vote ... That has got to be confusing.

Then, in her first act as chief, she banishes their Mother Hen from their pirate ship reward. Galu is such a big tribe with so much dissension they surely will implode before they manage to pick off all four of Foa Foa. It is obvious that a line has been drawn between the men and women.

With Russell's affinity for "dumb-ass girls," this could be dangerous to the men of Galu, especially with Laura in his pocket. She could easily jump ship and take her baby chicks with her. It still remains anyone's game, but at this point, my money is on Russell, like him or not.