When Survivor launched the new era in season 41, one of the new aspects introduced to the game was journeys. Players, usually one member from each tribe, would go off with each other and participate in some kind of challenge.
There was always a caveat, however. While an advantage could be gained by one of those on the journey, a disadvantage was earned by the others. As the seasons have passed by, players are now aware that the journeys, like the beware advantages, could have negative repercussions.
To start Survivor 50, each tribe had to send someone on a journey. Mike White, Colby Donaldson, and Savannah Louie participated. Savannah, who won season 49, wanted to go because it was an opportunity to take part in an aspect of the game she hadn't yet enjoyed.
When the three reached the beach for the journey, they were told only two could participate. Mike White lost a rock draw, so Colby and Savannah participated in a block-stacking challenge. Whoever placed the block that made the structure fall would lose.
Colby lost, and his penalty was the loss of his vote at his next tribal council. Savannah's only reward was that she got to keep her vote. That is what the two participants of the challenge were told, and both took it at face value.
Savannah was in a lose-lose situation on Survivor 50 after the journey
Once the challenge was over, the two separated to return to their respective beaches by boat. Once alone, Savannah was told she had actually won a Block-a-Vote advantage. She was the only one who knew about this.
Upon her return to camp, she decided to tell the truth about the challenge and the result. Those were known facts that could be verified by Colby later, if anyone wanted to check her story. She kept her advantage to herself.
Here is where the journeys are so disadvantageous for those who go on them. They have to decide whether to tell the whole truth or try to hide the truth. It is a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. If you tell your tribe that you won an advantage, you immediately put a target on your back. If you don't tell them you have an advantage, then they think you are lying, and you become a target.
It can also hurt you if your tribe knows you lost a vote, because that can make you vulnerable.
In this case, no one believed Savannah. No one had played with her, and no one had seen her play before. Her lack of connections within the Survivor community left her without anyone to help protect her in this situation.
In the end, her tribe unanimously voted her out in episode 2, just as they did Jenna Lewis-Dougherty at the first tribal council. If Savannah hadn't gone on that journey, the target probably wouldn't have fallen on her so quickly. Her tribe was fairly dysfunctional, with plenty of options on whom to vote out, but since no consensus could be reached, Savannah and her unknown advantage were taken from the game.
It is already starting to be a thing where many players want no part of the journey. If that aspect of the game continues, it will be harder and harder to get anyone to volunteer to go. Savannah paid the price for wanting to experience everything Survivor has to offer.
Even if she had told them the complete truth and that she had an advantage, that might have been enough to place her in danger. That's why these journeys are extremely dangerous for the players who have to go.