Actually, I also thought that the rhythm was always the same thing. Actually it is ;)
But for seeing it live, it's actually much more a fast "123123" than a "1 1 1 1 1" quite weird to explain, but it sounds like a train to me...
The younger players pretty much quote what Django did. I saw Bireli Lagrene last time on TV, and he wouldn't play with two fingers because it would be disrespectful to Django's memory (too much aping) but musically, they try to stay close to what he did. Maybe it really is the sound that bothers you!! :)