When Netflix released Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult in May 2024, it introduced millions of viewers to a family conflict that had already been playing out on TikTok since early 2022. At the center of it is Miranda Derrick, a professional dancer whose relationship with her sister, Melanie Wilking, has become one of the most talked-about estrangements in recent internet history. Miranda has consistently denied claims that she is part of a cult, insisting she is happy in her marriage and her career.
Who Is Miranda Derrick?
Born Miranda Wilking, she began building a public profile as a dancer well before the controversy started. She competed on So You Think You Can Dance in 2015 and later danced in Bee Gees-themed stage productions, including Stayin’ Alive and Night Fever — credits that are confirmed through casting records and her own social media history.
Today, her career runs through 7M Films, a dance management company whose roster posts choreography content across TikTok and Instagram. The company was founded by Robert Shinn, who is also the pastor of Shekinah Church, a Los Angeles congregation. Miranda became involved with both the church and the company after relocating to California, and in 2021 she married fellow 7M dancer James Derrick, who performs online as BDash.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Miranda Wilking |
| Sister | Melanie Wilking |
| Husband | James Derrick (“BDash”) |
| Management | 7M Films |
| Documentary | Dancing for the Devil (Netflix, 2024) |
| Hometown | Michigan (per family statements) |
Her height is commonly cited as around 5’6″, though this isn’t confirmed by any official source. Her exact birthdate also isn’t publicly documented; based on her 2015 TV appearance, she’s generally believed to be in her late twenties or early thirties.
What the Documentary Actually Claims — and What It Doesn’t
It’s worth separating fact from assumption here, since a lot of the online narrative blurs the two.
No legal finding exists. Despite the “cult” framing, no court has ruled on the matter. The documentary presents the Wilking family’s allegations, but there’s no criminal charge against Robert Shinn tied to Miranda, and Miranda hasn’t taken legal action against her family.
The missing wedding is genuinely disputed. When Melanie married in 2023, Miranda wasn’t there. Melanie says Miranda wasn’t invited because of the estrangement; Miranda says she was never told the date or location. The two accounts simply don’t line up, and there’s no public evidence resolving which is accurate.
Contact with her parents isn’t fully severed. Dean and Kelly Wilking have publicly asked Miranda to reconnect, and Miranda has said she talks to them occasionally while keeping her distance — a more complicated picture than “total estrangement.”
She isn’t related to fellow dancer Vik White. The two are frequently confused because both appear in 7M content and both get mentioned alongside cult allegations, but they aren’t family.
There’s no OnlyFans account. This is a recurring search rumor with no basis in anything she’s actually posted.
“Cult” isn’t a legal term. The documentary’s title does a lot of framing work, but religious scholars are divided on whether Shekinah Church fits typical cult criteria. Several current and former 7M dancers have said publicly that they joined the group voluntarily — which complicates the documentary’s more sweeping implications.
Miranda’s own position has stayed consistent since 2024: she says she isn’t in a cult, isn’t being held against her will, and is happy with her husband and her life.
How Her Public Presence Has Held Up
Miranda and James have occasionally deactivated their social accounts — People reported this happening without explanation in early 2025, followed by their return with no formal statement. Her follower counts have fluctuated for reasons unrelated to genuine reach (documentary-driven spikes, inactive accounts, bots), so engagement on her actual dance content is a more reliable gauge of her audience than raw follower numbers. That audience has shifted, too — a lot of her comment sections now revolve around the family conflict rather than dance itself, even though she hasn’t pivoted to addressing the controversy full-time.
Her income sources — brand deals, performances, platform monetization — aren’t publicly disclosed, so any specific net worth figure circulating online should be treated as a guess rather than fact.
How Audiences Have Split on the Story
Reactions have broken down fairly predictably along a few lines:
- Age/platform familiarity: Younger viewers who followed the Wilking sisters pre-2022 tend to side with Melanie; older or less TikTok-native viewers are often more skeptical of the “cult” framing itself.
- Geography: The story is biggest in the U.S., where the family and documentary promotion are based, though it’s traveled internationally through Netflix — Spanish-language audiences in particular have engaged heavily using the term “secta.”
- The dance industry: Reactions are mixed and mostly informal — some defend 7M as a legitimate management outfit, others say they noticed red flags — but no major dance organization has issued a formal statement.
- Former church members: A handful have spoken publicly about their experience with Shekinah Church, though these accounts remain anecdotal without documentation to back them up.
Critics of the documentary itself have pointed to one clear gap: Miranda didn’t participate in it. That absence is arguably the central hole in the public record — until she sits for an extended interview or a legal proceeding puts facts on record, the full picture stays incomplete.
Where Things Stand Now
- Miranda continues to post 7M dance content and hasn’t signaled any change in her management or religious affiliation.
- No reunion between Miranda and her family has been announced.
- The Wilkings haven’t pursued a legal fund or formal petition; their outreach remains through social media and interviews.
- Miranda has said she received death threats after the documentary aired and has publicly asked people to stop sending hate to either side of the story.
Bottom Line
If you’re trying to actually understand this story rather than just consume takes on it, a few habits help: check the date on anything you read (the situation has shifted multiple times since 2022), go to primary sources — Miranda’s own statements and Melanie’s separate account — rather than recycled quotes, and stay skeptical of anyone claiming to know Miranda’s private thoughts, since she hasn’t given an extensive interview since the documentary aired. Two incomplete, conflicting narratives are still what the public has to work with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Miranda Derrick still part of 7M and Shekinah Church? Yes, as far as public evidence shows. She continues to appear in 7M dance content and hasn’t posted anything indicating a change in her management or religious affiliation. Her accounts were briefly deactivated at one point, but she returned without announcing any split.
How old is Miranda Derrick? Her exact birthdate isn’t listed in any reliable public source. Based on her 2015 appearance on So You Think You Can Dance and her family’s statements, she’s generally believed to be in her late twenties or early thirties.
What is Miranda Derrick’s net worth? There’s no disclosed financial information, so any specific figure circulating online is speculation. Her likely income sources are dance performances, brand partnerships, and social media monetization.
Who is Miranda Derrick married to? She’s married to James Derrick, a fellow 7M dancer known online as BDash. They married in 2021, and he appears in many of the same dance videos as Miranda.
Where does Miranda Derrick live now? She grew up in Michigan, according to her family’s statements, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue dance, where she joined 7M Films. She and James currently live in the Los Angeles area, though they haven’t shared an exact address publicly.
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