Tuesday, November 8, 2016 is still a long ways away, but on Thursday night election season officially begins with Fox's Republican presidential debate(s). As usual HNGN has you covered. Check out our primer before you tune in, which includes how to watch them, tidbits on how they are run and, of course, the best drinking games to play while watching. Get the popcorn ready! With Donald Trump leading the field, it is sure to be an exciting night.

What

There are two different debates taking place on Thursday night. The first is at 5 p.m. This one is for the Republican presidential candidates who did not finish in the "top 10" on average in the "five most recent national polls, as recognized by Fox News," according to the network. The nextwork officially announced its results on Tuesday evening.

The main event is at 9 p.m., which features the candidates who did finish in that top 10.

Where

Quicken Loans Arena in Ohio, where Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers play.

Who

Moderators:

5 p.m. debate- Fox's Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum

9 p.m. debate- Fox News anchors Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace

Candidates participating:

5 p.m. debate- Texas governor Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former New York governor George Pataki and former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore.

9 p.m. debate- Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, Florida senator Marco Rubio, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Texas senator Ted Cruz, Kentucky senator Rand Paul, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Ohio governor John Kasich.

Rules

Candidates have 60 seconds to respond to questions and 30 seconds to reply to another candidate if their name is mentioned. Unlike the common debate form, candidates will not have opening statements. However, they all will get to present 30 second closing statements, time permitting.

How to watch

Fox News on your television or FoxNews.com. However, the online stream is only available once you provide your cable provider information on the site, which does not make much sense seeing how Fox partnered with Facebook to promote the events... If you don't have a cable plan, it may be a pain to find a way to watch, but the internet is a crazy place. With some googling and investigating on Twitter you'll most find a stream or two. 

Drinking games!

After a calculated, deep investigation, we found these sites' drinking games to be most exciting and fun for viewers, regardless of part affiliation. Or if you are solely watching to get drunk.

Rolling Stone

Fox Sports

Buzzfeed

A word from the wise, though! Know your limit and drink in moderation, because as Surgeon General Vivek Murthy points out, "You simply can't drink every time one of these guys says something silly... It's just a formula for disaster."  

These are only the first two debate of the 2016 presidential cycle. Many more are set to take place. Some have exact dates and sponsors already set, while others are still being planned. Check below to see all of the debates scheduled between now and election day 2016, courtesy of USPresidentialElectionNews.com.

Thursday, August 6, 2015
Fox News Republican Debate (Live Stream)
5pm ET - Candidates outside top 10 (1 hr.)
9pm ET - Top 10 Candidates (2 hrs.)
Aired On: Fox News Channel
Location: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH
Sponsors: Fox News, facebook
Moderators: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace
Candidates 5pm: Perry, Santorum, Jindal, Fiorina, Graham, Pataki, Gilmore
Candidates 9pm: Trump, Bush, Walker, Huckabee, Carson, Cruz, Rubio, Paul, Christie, Kasich

Wednesday, September 16, 2015
CNN/Salem Republican Debate
Aired On: CNN and Salem Radio (Press Release)
Location: Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA
Sponsors: Reagan Library Foundation, CNN, Salem Media Group
Moderators: Jake Tapper, Hugh Hewitt,
Rules: Split field into Segment B (top 10 candidates) and Segment A (remaining candidates getting at least 1% in polls) (Details)
Candidates: To be determined

Wednesday, October 28, 2015
CNBC Republican Debate
Aired On: CNBC
Location: University of Colorado in Boulder (Press Release)
Sponsors: CNBC (Press Release)
Candidates: To be determined

November, 2015*
Fox Business/WSJ Republican Debate
Aired On: Fox Business Network
Location: Wisconsin
Sponsors: Fox Business Network, Wall Street Journal
Candidates: To be determined

December 15, 2015
CNN/Salem Republican Debate
Aired On: CNN
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Sponsors: CNN, Salem Media Group
Candidates: To be determined
2016

January, 2016*
Fox News Republican Debate
Aired On: Fox News Channel
Location: Iowa
Sponsors: Fox News
Candidates: To be determined

February 6, 2016
ABC/IJReview Republican Debate
Aired On: ABC
Location: St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire
Sponsors: ABC News, IJReview.com (Press Release)
Candidates: To be determined

February 13, 2016
CBS News Republican Debate
Aired On: CBS
Location: South Carolina
Sponsors: CBS News
Candidates: To be determined

February 26, 2016
NBC/Telemundo Republican Debate
Aired On: NBC and Telemundo
Location: Texas
Sponsors: NBC/Telemundo, National Review
Candidates: To be determined

March, 2016*
Fox News Republican Debate
Aired On: Fox News Channel
Location: TBD
Sponsors: Fox News
Candidates: To be determined

March 10, 2016
CNN/Salem Republican Debate
Aired On: CNN
Location: Florida
Sponsors: CNN, Salem Media Group
Candidates: To be determined

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