this is "nightline." >> tonight -- >> you should be showing up to work. >> fight night in the dpop. >> someone is convinced he's attacking me is going to help mill. >> the third debate full of surprising twists and attacks. >> this stuff is fantasy. >> his poll numbers tanked. he's on the end. >> with former front-runner trump in a slump, would he go after the man who's now beating him in some polls? who won and who lost tonight? the high stakes in the highly unpredictable republican primary race. plus, professional pranksters. we're behind the scenes with the impractical jokers. the lifelong best friends now a global cult phenomenon.

stunts and their success. how they turned their obsession -- >> who has three nipples but only uses one? >> -- into a hit series with millions of fans. guess who's coming to "black-ish." our own michael strahan making a cameo for a special halloween episode. we're there as he gets into character and clears up one pesky rumor. >> a lot of people think you and i are the same people. enough pressure for you? >> i'm going to take mucinex. off. >> it works fast in liquid gels. >> gels dissolve fast to release max strength medicine. let's end this. find your fall favorites. get an extra $10 when you spend $25 or more with coupon. save on door busters. guys and juniors arizona denim. women's boots. jcpenney.

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good evening. the left side unpredictable republican primary took another twist tonight. political watchers thought the third gop debate would be all about donald trump trying to regain his lead in the polls by attacking the surging dr. ben carson. but instead tonight the attacks came from surprising sources and were sometimes directed at surprising targets. donald trump, who has dominated this race for months, came into tonight's debate in boulder, colorado, trailing in some polls to dr. ben carson. but to the surprise of many it wasn't carson with whom trump tangled but instead the normally genial governor of ohio. >> folks, we got to wake up. we cannot elect somebody that doesn't know how to do the job.

>> this is the man that was a managing general partner at lehman brothers when it went down the tubes and almost took every one of us with us including ben and myself. he was such a nice guy and he said, i'm never going to attack. then his poll numbers tanked. that's why he's on the end. and he got nasty. so you know what? you can have him. >> it was classic trump. but as the evening went on it was florida senator marco rubio, who has risen to third place in some recent polls, who seemed to be getting much of the attention. >> i thought the biggest moment in this, the most intense, jeb had to take a stand and confront marco rubio and he did it on missed votes. >> a french work week, you get three days you have to show up? you can campaign or just resign and let someone else take the job. >> marco rubio's response was stronger than jebs, he basically accused him of doing this for political purposes and simultaneously attacked the media. marco rubio came away much stronger than jeb did in that exchange.

doing it now is because we're running for the same position and someone has convinced you attacking me is going to help you. >> reporter: bush struggling in the polls, reducing his campaign payroll by 40%, and competing with rubio for the position of strongest establishment candidate, has been hitting his one-time mentee hard for not showing up for votes. in fact today bush's super pac launched a twitter account account @ismarcoworking and the first tweet was a ferris bueller gag. >> mr. rubio, mr. rubio, mr. rubio? bueller? asked about an editorial out this morning from a homestate newspaper calling on him to resign for skipping votes in the president. >> when they say you act like you hate your job, do you? >> i read that editorial with great amusement. >> in 2008 barack obama missed 60% to 70% of his vote and the this is another example of the

between the mainstream media and the conservative media. >> reporter: it seemed the story was the fact that the front-runners, carson and trump, were making the least news. >> ben carson and donald trump stage. especially donald trump. he seemed to not really be much involved in the debate. and his answers sort of were the same things everything's heard before. so i think it'sing from where the folks that hold 50% of the vote basically disappeared from the stage. >> reporter: then carson drew applause with this diatribe against political correctness. >> they shouldn't automatically assume that because you believe marriage is between one man and one woman that you are a homophobe. and this is one of the myths that the left perpetrates on our society. it's those people who are trying to divide us who are the enemies. we need to make that very clear to everybody. >> reporter: going into this evening the chattering classes had assumed that the primary dynamic would be donald trump, who has dominated this race for months, going after ben carson, who's now starting to beat him

in some polls. >> iowa, will you get your numbers up, please? good job. by the way, carson is -- i don't want the whole deal, i don't know what's going on. bush. >> reporter: on the stump trump has seemed to raise questions about carson's face. >> i mean, seventh day adventist i don't know about. >> reporter: carson did not appear to be worried about potential attack in the debate. >> any nerves at all? >> not yet. >> maybe soon? >> maybe if a tiger comes out on the stage, maybe. >> reporter: apparently he was right not to be nervous. overall tonight trump was more kitten than tiger. >> i've created tens of thousands of jobs. in all due respect, actually some of these folks i really like a lot, about i'm the only one that can say that. >> reporter: the most ardent attacks were on the moderators. >> daily fantasy sports has become a phenomenon in this country.

>> reporter: who asked questions about such issues as fantasy football. >> we have $19 trillion in debt. we have people out of work. we have isis and laiction a al qaeda attacking us. and we're talking about fantasy football? >> reporter: in the last debate, former hewlett-packard ceo carly fiorina made waves. >> if we will not stand up and force president obama to veto this bill, shame on us. >> reporter: tonight it may have been new jersey governor chris christie who showed the most spiciness. >> you want me to answer, or you want to answer? because i tell you the truth, even in new jersey what you're doing is called rude. >> reporter: on debate nights in america there's now a tradition of instant analysis, from pundits of all varieties. hillary clinton herself weighed in tonight with a text. "so much talk, so little substance." who won and who lost tonight? >> the big loser was jeb. jeb had to have a standout

he didn't have any. matter of fact, i think he came away with more negatives than positives. the big winner was probably marco rubio. >> early indications from the digital world seem to back that up. google says marco rubio was the top-searched candidate during the debate. coming up next on this? how four friends turned a life long obsession with practical jokes into a cult hit. why is our michael strahan soliciting acting advice from the cast of "black-ish"? i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? pi was given warfarin pbut i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me eliquis treats dvt and and reduces the risk of them not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had

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>> reporter: that she is being pranked by a group of professionals. >> four, five -- look in your hood for god's sake, woman! >> reporter: they are the impatrol jokers. joe. sal. that's what it's all about >> reporter: murr. and q. >> want a bite? >> reporter: four best friends on a lifelong quest to embarrass each other. their hit show on trutv now celebrating 100 episodes of wild pranks. awkward epcounters. and questionable decisions. >> that was totally fine. >> i'm not going to put up with it. >> reporter: all in the name of comedy. >> that was good. not great. >> the joke's on us, not on the public. >> one guy goes to the public, the others tell him what to do, if he fails he gets punished. >> the show is not about

pranking the public per se, it's messing with each other and the public's collateral damage. >> reporter: and it's working. the foursome all nearly 40 years old have become a cult favorite. fans all over the world. >> come on in. >> oh, thank you. all the way from scotland, yeah. >> we never thought when we created the show five years ago at this point, we never thought families would watch it. we hear all the time three generations of family members are watching. grandparents, parents and kids. it's crazy. we never thought it would catch on like that, it's really incredible. >> reporter: what's the secret to their hilarious success? the jokers inviting us in where no outside cameras have ever gone before. >> this is all the cameras we see, on the television monitor. >> reporter: joey knows what pranks. from the preparation -- >> that's a microphone to catch

your mother sitting here. there's microphones under here in case they talk to us. >> this entire desk is made of chocolate. >> one big chocolate desk. >> we'll also say that this is the kind of bit where there's a couple secrets planned tonight. >> oh! >> i've got a couple secrets -- >> what secrets are we talking about? >> things i'm going to do against my three best trends. >> you've thought of things you want to though at them? >> preplanned stuff. >> in advance. >> this room is going to mess with them. >> reporter: to the setup. >> joe oversees all editing. >> wow. with 16 cameras -- >> yeah. >> as somebody who does this stuff too, it takes a lot of >> it does. wrong camera angle, it could >> totally. >> there's a song written about this whole process. 16 cameras >> reporter: and then -- >> here we go. >> reporter: it's game time. >> hello. hi, how are you? >> today's challenge -- >> how are you? >> people think they're coming in for a focus group. instead of a real receptionist, they're greeted by -- you

>> be a good receptionist. get and up go to the file cabinet and ask if he wants any. >> reporter: an impractical joker. >> do you want one? >> reporter: the jokers each take turns in the middle of the action. >> you're here for an appointment? >> there's a rat on your desk! >> there's a rat, holy -- [ bleep ], [ bleep ]! >> oh, wait, it's just a power cord. >> oh, it's a power cord! >> it's one of those multi plex -- i feel sick. >> reporter: the three others watch and direct. >> what's your name? >> brendan. >> princess. is is. >> reporter: if one refuses a challenge -- >> you're the type of guy who

>> reporter: be prepared for punishment. no matter what the cons consequence. >> i, james murray, take you, sal's sister, to be my lawfully wedded wife. >> how did you come up with this idea together? >> you know, we put wise to each other, we've been doing it all our lives. we wanted to put that forward for america to see. >> reporter: even when cameras aren't rolling the laughs keep coming. >> oh, god. it's running my show. >> reporter: it wasn't always lights, camera, and jumping out of airplanes for the jokers. none of you started in comedy? >> i did start out funny. no i worked -- have a degree in finance. i was a bartender doing comedy. >> i was a personal shopper at a baby store. >> ask him a question, anything, anything baby related. >> i was unemployed for so many

years. i worked in tv development. developing tv shows. i wrote a book that never got published. it was a good book. then the guys and i met. >> did you just tell her what you did as a hobby? >> no, i meant for it to be a career. it didn't pan out. >> you all are actual friends? >> yeah. >> we met 26 years ago in high school. >> one more guy. >> this is real, this is not concocted by some casting agent? >> we wish at this point we could get rid of each other but it's contractual. >> reporter: four friends laughing together always, making this big-kid act a grown-up success. >> what's your number one piece of advice to people who look at you? want to do that. >> don't give up. people say, where'd these guys come from? we've been straining for this 26 years. stop. do something else. you're not kidding anyone. >> reporter: for "nightline,"

jokes with the impractical jokers in new york. next, our michael strahan getting into the halloween spirit with a cameo on "black-ish." as we all know from "magic mike xxl," the man loves a costume. excellent p looking below the surface, researching a hunch... and making a decision . p time for a change of menu. research and invest from any website. with e trade' s browser trading. e

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from "good morning america" to "live with kelly and michael," michael strahan is no stranger to television. that said, when he got the chance to make his abc primetime debut, the nerves set in and fast. >> hey! >> whoa, whoa! >> don't you drop my apples! >> reporter: don't adjust your tv screens, that's me, michael strahan, guest starring on this week's episode of "black-ish." or should we call it "gap-ish"? >> i'm on the set of "black-ish," halloween episode, playing anthony anderson's cousin junebug. >> your real name! >> tea kettle! aahhh! >> everybody thinks anthony and i look alike. we decided to be on this episode to prove we are not the same person. i'm so excited. i am ready for my closeup. let me get into character. let's go. what's up? >> reporter: before we start

rolling some acting advice courtesy of my costars. >> i'm glad i'm here and thank you for having me because a lot of people think you and i are the same people. >> i'm going to show them something. my gap has chosed. and his is wide. >> immensely. >> i think it's a compliment to me because i've been in the gym. so for them to confuse me with this? i'll take that any day. >> many men aren't going to be happy with what i'm just saying. >> what are we looking forward to? >> you're going to be scary. >> yes? >> very strong. >> yes? keep going. >> very handsome. >> oh! >> there's a lot of acting. no! >> i was feeling good about myself until you said that. >> you play a mother to four kids. >> it's amazing. it's probably one of my favorite parts. working with anthony, the kids. >> kids everywhere. >> reporter: i got schooled by the pint-sized performers. >> kids. yeah.

i am so nervous. what kind of advice do you have? help me calm down, please. >> oh, okay. if you like mess up on your lines, it's okay to mess up. because everybody messes up. even i mess up wow. >> even this guy. >> even he messes up? >> everyone messes up. up. do you ever laugh in the middle of the scene? >> oh, sometimes, especially working with anthony. because you know anthony's a goofy person. he likes to make faces when the camera's not on him. >> roof, roof, roof! nod. >> mm! every time i watch and i see you >> yeah. >> i have to make it a little more subtle. >> so it's not like this. >> i'm on set, i've got to get back to work. check out "black-ish." >> michael, get your [ bleep ] back to work, man! come on! >> and "black-ish" airs wednesday nights at 9:30 eastern right here on abc. our thanks to michael strahan

and our thanks to you for watching tonight. tune into gma first thing in the morning and wore an line 24/7 on our "nightline" facebook page and abcnews.com. thanks for watching.