Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson missed his cue to walk on to the debate stage, waiting in the wings as if he just could not face it.
That seemed to cause a traffic jam, with Donald Trump awkwardly piling up behind him. Then came Jeb Bush, who looked baffled before patting Mr Trump on the back and walking past him.
It was a fitting fiasco for a party immersed in a messy bloodbath.
It was meant to be Marco Rubio's big moment, a chance for the Florida Senator to shine and send his establishment rivals packing.
he was everyone's punch bag. Chris Christie gave him the combative 'New Jersey treatment', taking the early advantage and acting as the perfect attack dog, seeking to expose Mr Rubio's inexperience.
The 44-year-old struggled to fight back, the audience jeering as he kept repeating the line, "Obama knows exactly what he's doing".
This debate was regarded as the last chance saloon for some of his more mainstream opponents. But Jeb Bush, who Mr Trump has repeatedly goaded for lacking energy, had his best performance yet.
He was on the front foot this time and at one point, Mr Trump had to ask him to "be quiet".
The billionaire businessman was generally less gladiatorial than we are used to seeing. It appeared as though he was trying to be more statesman-like and less outlandish. But he reserved his biggest attack for the audience, dismissing them for booing him.
Senator Ted Cruz, Iowa's golden child, at times looked unsteady. Asked if waterboarding was torture, he seemed to falter before stating that it was not, but rather "enhanced interrogation".
It often felt like Mr Rubio was being interrogated and he failed to rise the occasion.
In so doing, he has allowed far more of his competitors to keep going in this increasingly ugly and fractious battle.
Mr Carson spent a lot of the night bemoaning the fact he was not able to talk more. His greatest contribution to proceedings was his entrance - a piece of performance art to add to the long list of bizarre spectacles in this race.
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