Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult was one of Netflix’s surprise smash hits this year, with everybody (myself included) getting pretty damn invested. And now, one of the co-executive producers has addressed the question on all of our minds: will there be a season two?
Co-executive producer Tim Milgram was the driving force behind getting the doco made, due to his strong links to the dance community and determination to tell the story.
He had previously employed Isaiah Shinn at his production company and worked with many of the dancers pre-7M, including Konkrete and B-Dash. He’d also met Melanie Wilking and her sister Miranda Derrick a couple of times prior to the whole alleged cult sitch.
Tim Milgram working with Isaiah Shinn prior to 7M’s creation. (Image: Supplied)
In case you need a quick refresher – the Netflix series sheds light on the Shekinah Church in Los Angeles, with pastor and founder Robert Shinn creating a company called 7M to manage influencers and TikTok stars.
In 2022, the church came under fire after TikTok dancer Melanie Wilking and her parents released a tearful Instagram Live video. In this infamous live, they claimed family member Miranda was now part of the alleged cult Shekinah, and had been forced to cut contact with them for a year. The show followed the Wilking family and other TikTok dancers who had since left the church.
And while it showed how many dancers and ex-cult members have now found closure, there were a few unanswered questions. For example, what’s happening to the remaining members such as B-Dash and Miranda? As far as we can see on social media, they’re still part of Shekinah. Will the lawsuits against Robert be successful? And is there a possibility the church could be forced to close?
Melanie Wilking and her parents shared their story about estranged family member Miranda Derrick in 2022. (Image: Netflix)
Tim told PEDESTRIAN.TV that he isn’t able to confirm if there will be a second season of Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, but he’s actually hoping that there won’t be. While I was kinda shocked at first, his answer made total sense.
“I would hope that there would be no need for a season two, and that all of the cards that are stacked up in this house of cards that Robert has built kind of collapse in a fast enough manner, that we don’t really even have enough content [for another season],” he explains.
“What I would like to see is just news that this [has] all fallen apart, and that there is no management company… no more ‘church’, and that all of the people in it have been freed.”
Were producers surprised by Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult’s success?
When asked about the reaction to the documentary – it was watched by 4.4 million people in the US during its first week – Tim has mixed feelings. On one hand, he’s glad he was able to spread awareness about the issue and the dark side of the entertainment industry, but on the other, he’s disappointed there haven’t been many tangible results… yet.
“I think it was eye-opening for everyone that something like this can even be right there under our noses… it’s a beautiful thing that the dance community is now more aware of what is possible and just more careful of the pitfalls [of] the entertainment industry as a whole,” he says.
“[But] I set out to do this, to first and foremost, get Miranda out of this thing… and it hasn’t happened yet.”
Melanie Wilking and Miranda Derrick used to be extremely close. (Image: Netflix)
He mentions how colleagues and family members have been congratulating him on the success of the project, but he doesn’t feel like he can celebrate just yet.
“I don’t really feel like I should be congratulated until every one of the dancers are out of [the alleged cult] and Robert has answered for the things he’s [allegedly] done. It’s a bittersweet moment in my life,” he explains.
“This was an important step to [raising] awareness [for this issue]. But unfortunately… the outcome that we desired has yet to come to fruition.”
Where are the cast of Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult now?
Tim runs a production company and dance studio called TMilly Creative and prior to 7M’s creation, he’d worked with dancers like B-Dash and Konkrete.
He noticed that once 7M was formed, he was suddenly unable to get into contact with a bunch of the dancers who became involved with the alleged cult. However, the ones that have left the church – such as Aubrey Fisher and Kylie Douglas – are now “thriving” and “healing”.
“For the people that got out… it is a journey to get back to some sense of normalcy and the healing process is not just something that happens instantaneously,” he says.
Aubrey has since taught classes at his studio and Kylie has rented his space to shoot a video, so they’re continuing with their dance careers without 7M looking over their shoulders.
“They’re thriving, and able to do this dance thing on their own without somebody telling them [what to do] every little step of the way,” he says.
It’s a relief to hear that some of the most genuine seeming ex-Shekinah members are slowly rebuilding their confidence, life and careers. The nosy part of me still wants a season two, even if it’s just for closure and to hear from all the cast, but these little updates are great to have.
Feature Image: Getty & Instagram @melaniewilking
The post Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult’s Producer Just Spilled On The Possibility Of A Season 2 appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
