New details emerge about mysterious Netflix 7M TikTok documentary

Netflix has released new details about Dancing for the Devil, a mysterious Netflix documentary series about the 7M TikTok Cult.

With plenty of new true crime documentaries heading to streaming platforms this month, one that’s stood out is Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult. 

For the uninitiated, 7M Films is a management company that represents several TikTok dancers. In 2022, Melanie Wilking — who was part of the Wilking Sisters TikTok dancing duo with her sibling Miranda Derrick — accused 7M of being a cult led by Robert Shinn, who’s also the pastor of the Shekinah Church. 

This came after Lydia Chung, another former Shekinah Church member, described the religious organization as a cult in 2009. She accused both Shinn and the church of “exerting undue influence, mind control, coercive persuasion, oppression, and other intimidating tactics,” as reported by The Daily Beast. 

However, a wave of new individuals associated with 7M dancers have since come forward to voice their concerns that their loved ones were part of a cult. In March 2023, Rolling Stone reported that three other members of 7M — Aubrey Fisher-Greene, Kylie Douglas, and Kevin “Konkrete” Davis — had joined a complaint against the company. “Shekinah is a cult operating under the guise of a religious institution,” court documents read.

“Robert refers to himself as ‘the Man of God’ and preaches to Shekinah members and that [sic] without submitting to him and without Shekinah, their lives will be cursed. Robert required full physical and economic and control [sic] over Shekinah members.”

Shinn, 7M, and representatives of the Shekinah Church have denied the allegations since they first emerged, branding them “wildly offensive and riddled with inaccuracies.”

However, there were a number of questions surrounding the docu-series, with details about the case scarce. As one Redditor commented, “Weird. I looked it up and there is nothing advertising it anywhere. I am no PR expert, but I would think there would be a website on it at least. No advertising yet? Maybe they will wait until the beginning of the month.”

This has all changed with the arrival of a teaser trailer on Netflix’s listing for the doc, which confirmed Melanie’s involvement. She first made headlines in early 2022, when she and her parents shared an emotional Instagram video voicing their concerns about Miranda and her involvement in 7M. 

Clips from this are played in the teaser, including one in which Melanie says, “We’re not allowed to contact her [Miranda] and it’s really sad because we’re blocked on absolutely everything.” Their mother jumps in to claim the “only people who have spoken” to Miranda are “whoever’s involved in this religious organization.”

Melanie is also set to appear in Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, with additional excerpts from her interview played in the teaser. “I still love dance but I feel like it’s just different,” she says. “It was Miranda and I on this journey together and now I’m alone. I feel like my sister died. She’s everywhere but nowhere.”

Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok cult streams on Netflix from May 29, 2024.

This article has been corrected from its original version following Netflix’s official reveal of the show.