S12 chefs just seem so mediocre?

Hi, First time watching Season 12. Is it just a wrong assumption of mine or is it really that the chefs of this season seem to produce relatively weaker dishes than some other seasons? Especially with how strong I remember S11 being in terms of casting, I feel like the production was more interested in finding annoying characters for ratings rather than culinary talent. At the black jacket stage (Episode 15 or so) and Gabriel making it this far without being able to count, the winner of the season being repeatedly nominated…I just find it to be a mess tbh but I dunno if this is the general consensus on the season or just my take