DRAMA surrounding dancer Miranda Derrick has blown up with an explosive Netflix series lifting the lid on her involvement in an alleged cult.
The TikTok star has hit back, saying she’s no longer safe after its release – so what’s her story, and how did it come to this?
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Who is Miranda Derrick?
Miranda Derrick (neé Wilking) is a dancer who soared to social media stardom alongside sister Melanie Wilking.
Miranda attended a performing arts high school before moving to Los Angeles to commence a dancing career.
The sisters got in on the TikTok dancing boom and shared a YouTube channel, quickly finding fame.
But their companionship would prove short-lived.
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Miranda went a separate direction when she collaborated with now-husband James “BDash” Derrick along with video producer Isaiah Shinn.
Isaiah is the son of Robert Shinn, a pastor at Shekinah Church who also happened to run 7M Films, a company managing TikTok dancers.
Miranda signed on with 7M Films, which is when the controversy is said to have started – according to her family members who spoke out in a new Netflix documentary.
The Netflix series claims dancers like Miranda were lured into a cult-like organisation, brainwashed by its religious leader and separated from their families.
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7M Films has maintained it operates completely separately to the church.
What did Miranda Derrick do in Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult?
Miranda is at the centre of the Netflix series, in which director Derek Doneen aims to shine the spotlight on what he claims is a damaging cult ripping families apart.
Doneen told Netflix: “I think audiences will be surprised by how easily regular people can get sucked into cult-like groups and how devastating the impact can be on families, friends, and communities.”
The documentary aims to illustrate how Miranda became increasingly involved with 7M and up to the boiling point of cutting off contact with her family, who speak in the series.
Miranda’s parents Kelly and Dean first raised the alarm in 2022, publicly suggesting their daughter was being sucked into a cult and exploited.
The Wilking family’s interviews in the series offer “agonizing insights into what it’s like to grapple with the sudden absence of a loved one who’s fallen under the influence of a charismatic leader”, according to Tudum by Netflix.
Miranda says she has been receiving death threats since the documentary has been in the headlines and slammed her family for participating in it.
Taking to social media, Miranda said: “I honestly – I don’t understand how my parents and my sister thought that this documentary would help me or would help our relationship in any way.
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“Before this documentary, my husband and I – we felt safe.
“Now that this documentary is out, we feel like our lives have been put in danger.
“We have received hate mail, death threats. People have been sending us messages to commit suicide. We’ve been stalked.”
In a curious turn of events, Miranda in late May posted about attending sister Melanie’s wedding, who married star NFL running back Austin Ekeler.
Miranda wrote on Instagram alongside a solo photo: “Had such a great time at my sister’s wedding.”
Her followers were sceptical.
One commented: “Obvs a staged photo after the documentary.”
Another said: “You really broke your sister’s heart.”
A third added: “We needed a shot of you and the bride.”
How to watch Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
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The series can be streamed on Netflix now.
Alongside tracking Miranda’s story, it accuses Robert Shinn of running 7M as an extension of the Shekinah church and forcing dancers to commit a large slice of their earnings to the religious movement.
Doneen told Netflix’s Tudum: ““His brand of manipulation and control is typical of many other cult leaders.”
Dancers who cut ties with 7M are also interviewed, with Kylie Douglas explaining: “For all of us dancers who left, it’s different to go from leaning on someone for approval for things and seeking their guidance on everything you’re doing to ‘OK, now it’s just up to me; I’m making all the decisions again.’
“It’s almost like you’re relearning how to be you again.”
Miranda described the documentary as one-sided.