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Rand Paul and Daily Show host Trevor Noah. | AP Photo Rand Paul holds faux debate on 'The Daily Show'

Rand Paul may not be participating in either Republican debate on Thursday night, but he did take part in a fake debate on “The Daily Show” on Wednesday evening.

The faux debate, which host Trevor Noah called “GOP Debate Singles Night,” was probably more fun than the undercard debate Paul declined to attend Thursday night — it involved booze.

“I was worried I wasn’t going to make the debate and I did, I made the debate,” Paul said, knocking the Fox Business Network criteria that pushed him into the second-tier debate. “I was so close to being excluded, and you’re going to beam me right in.”

After Paul and Noah took their seats, the podium spun around to reveal shelves of “issues bourbon.” Each bottle was labeled with a topic (war in the Middle East, economy and drugs) that Noah could ask Paul about.

Noah promised to take a shot each time Paul did not answer his question. But Paul did answer the questions, which were mostly straightforward. Noah drank anyway.

"This is kind of like your bachelor party, where they tell you to keep drinking and keep drinking, and they're not drinking shots, but you are," Paul said as they both took sips of bourbon.

“The Daily Show” appearance was one of a tsunami of media appearances Paul made leading up to his online town hall Thursday night, which he is planning to hold unless Fox Business Network relents and lets him on the main stage in Charleston.