Baloony wasn't bland in post split because half the time he was either dead or getting robbed by the viewers because they were desperately trying to keep Gelatin (a horrible character) in the game.
The only reason why Balloony was bland in post split is because JnJ took his personality away. “Balloony sucks”; Stapy killed Balloony in BFB 7, so Balloony doesn’t hate him for no reason either. Leafy’s put Balloony and his team through living hell, so it’s not like he hates her for no reason at all. Balloony isn’t a heartless monster, unlike SOME leaf we all know. Nickel killed Balloony in BFB 12, but he’s done good things for the team, so Balloony doesn’t have a love-hate relationship with him over nothing. Balloony’s a wholesome parent.