The GOP candidates took each other on in a debate hosted by CNBC Wednesday night in Boulder, Colorado.

Though some players have changed, many have stayed the same. Tonight we saw Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Gov. Chris Christie (NJ), and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

The major takeaway from the night was clear: Cruz saw the debate as his time to shine.

His passion was much more visible this time around than ever before. The senator finally let Americans get to know him on a much more personal level, a major attribute that citizen voters desire in their ideal candidate. Cruz made a few cracks about tequila, marijuana brownies and why his beliefs have caused him to become the “designated driver” for his friends.

The biggest response from the crowd, however, was when he took a jab at the moderators, who were not exactly drawing positive reactions from the candidates or the audience. Cruz has finally realized that playing it safe is not going to help him win. He stepped out of his comfort zone, and it paid off.

While Cruz stole the spotlight, Paul and Huckabee failed to make an impression. By the time they finally spoke up toward the end of debate, they did not have enough time to make themselves as memorable as the other candidates, like Cruz. They truly failed to stand out to voters, which was suggested by their social media appearance, as reported by CNBC as well.

Paul and Huckabee were clearly the two losers of this debate — by a long shot.

Victoria Razzi is a sophomore advertising major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at vcrazzi@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @vrazzi.