That is something I plan to address as I have mostly confirmed my modifying the difficulty theory from before. Still isn't 100% dead on but I suspect I have the gist of it. Ya what you are seeing is another part of all that. It is layers and layers of nonsense.
They will come back post 1500. A lot of stuff does. Felt that way for quite awhile now. Honestly the supercharged wrapped are really the only think that make levels a little unpredictable now since they break gap mechanics.
I was not actually hunting for a new season, just seeing if that page was actually ever going to be updated, was Winter Games for a loooong time. So for anyone outside the US I am guessing we will just all get 20 dollars worth of Gold :D
Sorta depends. If you have gold you can bypass or use boosters to win. Basically the idea is you get you to drain more of your gold by helping people out.
The have been mucking around with levels. They move a bunch then update them later. They did some updates from 1000-1500 and I have played duplicate levels more than a few times. They are the same levels as pre 1000. I do not think I have seen the same level 3 times yet but I half expect to.
If you have the season they should be wearing them, try the old, play an old level then a new one. They might not have triggered. I know mine did not appear at first.