Is it just me, or was Spanian more real when he was just walking through the housing commissions?

I’m watching the new 2026 Survival Series and it’s cool, don't get me wrong. But does anyone else miss the raw energy of the early Into the Hood vlogs? Now it feels like a Discovery Channel production. I'm happy for his success, but has the polished Spanian lost that edge that made us sub in the first place?