Did you try putting more structure (concentric outlines or a gradient or something) in the input image? Seems like style transfer would fall flat on a binary image.
They just took the most obvious, silly things everyone predicts about the future and rendered them in the most simplistic, stylized ways.
Was unsuccessfully trying to articulate my gripe with this show but you hit the nail on the head. I think it also explains why I liked the first one best, while the talent show/advertising episode was just annoyingly silly.