Wiltshire Pushes The Leaderboard to a Possible Kuh Screen

Brian Kuh, moments after acquiescing "the first
Funspot kill screen" to Steve Wiebe in 2005

September 30th, 2012 - Earlier today, Twin Galaxies verified that Steve Wiltshire of Lincoln, Nebraska has taken 9th place on the Donkey Kong leaderboard with a fantastic score of 964,600.

This means that Donkey Kong competitor Brian Kuh, portrayed in The King of Kong as Billy Mitchell's protégé (and likely to be eternally beleaguered for one infamous, immortal scene in particular), is being threatened with imminent excommunication from the top 20.

Kuh is now on the precipice, dangling in 20th place with a score of 697,500.

Kuh achieved this score on June 1st, 2009 at the 11th annual Funspot Tournament. Footage from near the end of the game made it to YouTube, and shows Kuh playing Level 17 (on pace to reach the kill screen with approximately 850,000 points). At the time, the score was good for 7th place.

A different era, to put it mildly.

If Kuh wishes to remain relevant in the competition, he's going to have to get himself in gear and put up a "2012 caliber" score.

Personally, I hope he will.

I can think of nothing better for competitive Donkey Kong than to have Kuh's very recognizable face battling it out alongside the rest of the contenders at the next Kong Off (though, admittedly, the role Kuh would be playing with respect to the crowd's rooting interests might not be one he's eager to take on).

In any case, the score that pushes Kuh out of the upper echelons may be in the verification queue as we speak...

For the record, I wish Brian the very best in Donkey Kong, and in whatever other gaming endeavors he might pursue.

Whether the ends justify the means, he is one of several ingredients critical to making The King of Kong as great a movie as it was (even if, as Kuh claims, it was was not a totally accurate or balanced portrayal of the man himself—but then, how could a few scant moments of screen time ever paint anything but a skewed picture?)

Brian, you have Donkey Blog's appreciation (and sympathies). Now get in there and put up your best!

As for Steve Wiltshire, congratulations to him for cracking what has become, by far, the most challenging top 10 in competitive video gaming.

[Update: this post was more about Brian Kuh than Steve Wiltshire, only because neither I, nor anyone else in the Donkey Kong community, knew anything whatsoever about Wiltshire at the time I wrote it! In fact, we all felt broadsided by his sudden appearance on the scene. Nobody has ever come in off the street and dropped 964,000 points on us!

On November 14th, the Lincoln Journal-Star published a story about Wiltshire introducing him and his Donkey Kong experience. I recommend it (and thank them for the kind link).]

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P.S.—If you haven't watched the following, you must do so now: