• Tim Milgram is a director, cinematographer, and producer in the Los Angeles dance community.
• After learning about the management company 7M's control over some of his peers, Milgram wanted to do something.
• The result is the hit Netflix docuseries "Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult."

One day over dinner in 2019, Tim Milgram got some disappointing but understandable news. Isaiah Shinn, who shot video for his production company and dance studio, told him he'd be parting ways with the company to work full-time for his father, who wanted to "invest in him."

Milgram wasn't surprised that Shinn would depart to join the family business. But he was surprised when he later learned that the family business was 7M Films, a management company that would come to be dubbed "the TikTok cult."

It would take more than two years for Milgram to connect the dots. The director and producer in the Los Angeles dance scene had worked with former 7M members BDash and Konkrete on his own content and had crossed paths with content creators the Wilking sisters at events. So when Melanie Wilking and her parents posted an emotional livestream saying they had lost all contact with Miranda and alleging that she was "no longer in control of her life," Milgram knew he had to do something.

The result is "Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult," a three-part Netflix series that alleges Shekinah Church pastor Robert Shinn lured Los Angeles content creators to his talent management company 7M Films and subjected them to sexual abuse, as well as cult-like behavior, including encouraging content creators to cut ties with family members. (Shinn has denied all allegations against him.)

The series, on which Milgram serves as a co-executive producer, has been wildly successful in spreading the word about 7M: In its first week, it amassed 4.4 million views and was one of the most-watched original series on Netflix, according to Variety.

"I think it's a beautiful thing for us to be able to stand up against something like that," Milgram told Business Insider of creating the doc. "For us in the dance community to be able to stand up and say, 'No, this is not okay for an organization like this to take advantage of dancers' — that is a triumph."

Below, Milgram talks to Business Insider about the documentary's inception and what he hopes will change now that the world has seen it.

What started it all? When did you first think about making a documentary about 7M?

When I saw that video, my heart sank. The Wilkings were so careful not to say the wrong thing. And it seemed like they were genuinely scared. They didn't want to cause any harm, do anything that would push their daughter further away. And seeing how genuine they were in that video… a lot of people in the dance community saw it and started talking to each other. I did some of that as well.

But I also started digging, trying to find records of anything pertaining to Robert's businesses, dealings that might connect him to this thing. At the same time, people on the internet started posting about it. I started putting this all together: Wow, this seems to go really, really far back: This isn't just about 7M management. There has been something going on for multiple decades.

What happened next?

The day after seeing their video, I called the Wilkings. We spoke for about an hour and a half. It was an incredibly emotional experience for me because I felt like I really needed to help them. There was a lot that they didn't and couldn't say in the video. And what I talked to them about brought me to tears. I was pacing around my house, just wiping tears away. I knew after that phone call that it was going to be my mission to try to help them.

You had been well-acquainted with Isaiah and even met the Shinn family.

I knew they were religious. Isaiah came across as a very wholesome, friendly Christian man. I thought he was a very respectful guy. However, when I asked about his faith, I got really vague answers, but I never pushed. I always got a strange vibe when I was [at the Shinn house] working with Isaiah.

What were your first impressions of 7M's content creators?

I thought the videos were great. At first, I was rooting them on, like, wow, these videos are going super viral. And what a successful thing Isaiah was doing, I applauded it. Then, after seeing the [Wilking] video and realizing this whole time that what I'd been watching is not what I thought it was — that was a really visceral thing for me.

What motivated you and your producing partner Briana Frapart to pitch this as a documentary?

Dancers are always being taken advantage of. We're paid late, certain jobs don't have the best working conditions or the best rates. Companies wanting to take advantage of genuinely talented people — this is not something new. This is just a different version that nobody has seen before.

Watching as this organization in an organized manner take advantage of dancers, doing what it did to their families — I couldn't let that be. I've been in Los Angeles for almost 14 years now. I've pursued dance professionally, I opened my own dance studio. I've been filming dancers the majority of the time I've been here, and I've created an immense amount of content. I've seen these situations, heard all these stories, and been in situations where things felt unfair. When I saw that video, I felt like I wasn't just trying to help their family. I felt like I was trying to help my family.

How did you approach the Wilking family and Melanie to convince them to participate?

It was a long process of maintaining a relationship with them. At first it was just me, then it was Jessica [Acevedo, an executive producer]. It was building a foundation of trust that we were going to handle this with the utmost care, that we weren't out to just make some money or make a thing about their family to try to exploit them. Because that was absolutely not the case.

The first five months were brutal. We reached out to friends of 7M members, as well as choreographers who worked with them. A lot of people were scared; they were hesitant to comment or be involved. Nobody wanted to take the risk. And we didn't really know the details of what was happening. We were digging in the dark, just trying to figure out, what really is this thing?

We needed [the Wilkings] to know that all of us, including them, were in alignment on what we wanted the outcome to be. And because of the nature of the situation that Miranda was in, it's very hard for any family — not just the Wilkings — to know what the right thing is to do in that situation. So yeah, it took time.

Have you talked to Isaiah since he left?

We remained in contact a little bit at the beginning of 2020, but we just stopped talking after that.

What do you hope for him?

Ultimately, Isaiah is a victim whether or not he benefits from being in the business with his dad. Isaiah is somebody who I used to call a friend, and hopefully can call a friend again. I would genuinely love for that to happen.

What do you hope the series' impact will be?

I want this organization to stop what it's doing. I believe that there is a future where every victim of this thing comes out of it and finds their own path in life. To me, that's the most important thing. Seeing this at No. 1 on Netflix was a surreal moment of some victory. When people say congratulations, there's a bit of bittersweet sorrow because I want the impact of the documentary, which might not come right away. And hopefully the impact is that people put pressure on this organization and put pressure on Robert. That's the only way that any kind of change is going to happen.

But at the moment of this interview, Miranda is still in the organization. That was initially the driving force for me to want to get involved in pursuing this. It was not to get a Netflix documentary. It was the outcome that still hasn't happened yet. So when I hear Congratulations, it's No. 1, that's awesome. But I can't fully accept it. I feel a certain sadness.

I'm not a documentary filmmaker. My origin is filming dance, being a dancer, and providing a physical space for people to train and to find community. It's not about my career as a filmmaker or as a producer. It's about leaving a legacy of some sort of positive change in our dance community.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

• Skytrax named Qatar Airways the world's best airline for business class for the 11th year.
• Introduced in 2017, the QSuite sports industry-first double beds and fan-favorite sliding doors.
• Qatar is expected to unveil an updated "QSuite 2.0" later this year.

Every year, the aviation ranking website Skytrax compiles and analyzes thousands of customer satisfaction surveys to determine the best of the best among some 350 airlines.

Qatar Airways stole Singapore Airlines' crown as the 2024 world's best airline this year. It was also, for the 11th year in a row, named as the best airline for business class.

The win is no surprise given Qatar's reputation for luxury at the front of the plane.

Qatar revolutionized premium flying when it introduced its famous QSuite, its first suite-style business class with fully closing doors. Several cabin layouts are possible, too, including first-of-its-kind double beds and quad-seating.

QSuite was an industry-changing design that raised the bar for premium seating worldwide.

Other airlines, like Air India and British Airways, have since adopted their own hotel-like cabins and multi-person seats.

Still, it appears travelers prefer the original — and Qatar is evolving it even further with the unveiling of its "QSuite 2.0" later this year.

Qatar has equipped all of its Airbus A350-1000s, some of its Airbus A350-900s, and most of its Boeing 777s with the QSuite.

Qatar's narrowbody planes don't have QSuite, nor do its Boeing 787 Dreamliners or Airbus A380s, though the mammoth quad-jets have an inflight lounge and bar.

Without major changes, QSuite wouldn't fit on the narrower Dreamliners, so Qatar created a different version. The 787s sport a 1×2×1 business class with sliding doors and similar soft products but without the QSuite's versatility.

The seat comes with the regularly expected business-class perks, including a giant television, power, gourmet meals, and storage.

QSuite food is rated the region's best, and it won Skytrax's 2024 Best Business Class Onboard Catering in the Middle East award.

Qatar's business class is also staffed with specially-trained flight attendants, though the airline's entire crew earned praise this year for being named the best cabin crew in the Middle East by Skytrax.

Its 1x2x1 configuration means there are no middle seats and every passenger can get up as they wish.

This freedom has become the standard in airline business class, though a few outliers, like Air India and Germany's Lufthansa, still fly some cramped planes without direct aisle access.

The latter, however, has recently introduced a new and improved "Allegris" business class on its widebody planes.

However, the seat is award-winning for its convertible beds, quad-seating, and privacy.

In order, Singapore, All Nippon Airways, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific were the other top five winners behind Qatar.

Delta was number eight, while United was number 17. American didn't make the list.

Qatar's QSuite was the first airline business class with a double bed.

The bed is created by combining two lie-flat seats into one, and closing both privacy doors creates a small pod — making it perfect for families and couples.

Big beds on airplanes are rare, meaning Qatar has a special edge helping it draw in customers willing to pay for the space.

Singapore has refreshed its Airbus A380 business class with seats that combine into a double bed. It also offers double beds in its first-class suite, and Etihad Airways does in its three-room "The Residence."

Cabin designer Ameco was shortlisted for the Crystal Cabin Awards for its concept of a double bed — but as a sleep option for economy.

The QSuite's versatility also draws customers, especially since it uniquely accommodates up to four people in one conjoined space.

Qatar has several seating configurations.

Next to the window, there are front-facing and rear-facing single seats. The center section has double suites and four-person spaces, though they can also be used individually and blocked off by raising a middle divider.

The quad-seating is achieved by dropping the partition between two rear-facing and two front-facing center seats. It's good for families or colleagues traveling together who need to work, meet, dine, play games, or watch a movie together.

This multi-person seating has gained traction, with more business class buddy seats popping up across the industry.

JetBlue Airways has offered a second seat in its Mint Suites for years, while Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and German leisure carrier Condor also offer the option.

Air New Zealand is adding a companion seat to its new Business Premier Suites cabin launching next year.

Sliding doors like Qatar's have become the most noticeable new business-class trend.

Doors revolutionized privacy. JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines were among the first to offer this feature when their Mint and Delta One suites launched in 2014 and 2017, respectively.

Delta is the only Big 3 airline to offer doors in business class, but American will join once its new door-equipped Flagship Suites debut later this year. United's Polaris business class remains door-free.

Carriers, including Air France, British Airways, All Nippon Airways, and Malaysia Airlines, have all added privacy doors.

The list continues: Air India, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, and Cathay Pacific Airways have added the perk.

Notably, five-star carriers Singapore and Emirates lack sliding doors in business but offer them in first-class suites.

For US-originating travelers looking for a QSuite, Qatar flies it between Doha and seven cities.

According to Qatar's website, the QSuite flies nonstop to New York-JFK, Chicago O'Hare, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Washington Dulles, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Boston.

• 47.9 million people watched the debate across all networks.
• CNN may have been the host, but the network didn't have the most television viewers — Fox News did.
• Viewership is down from prior years, as a record 84 million watched the Trump-Clinton debate in 2016.

Last night's presidential debate attracted 47.9 million viewers across networks, according to early Nielsen numbers, making it the most-watched non-sporting event of the year. Still, audience numbers paled in comparison to previous years.

Though CNN hosted the debate, the network didn't boast the largest television audience — Fox News claimed that prize, with 8.8 million viewers compared to CNN's 8.7 million. ABC News also pulled 8.7 million eyeballs, while MSNBC drew nearly 4.0 million. A total of 22 networks streamed the event, which is widely being considered a disaster for President Biden.

The debate also received more than 30 million views on CNN's platforms and YouTube, according to the network.

Though the viewership may seem impressive, it marks a steep drop from past presidential elections. In 2016, a record 84 million people tuned into the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. And 73 million viewers watched the first Biden-Trump match up four years ago.

Some view the lower viewership as an indication of Americans' general disinterestedness in politics. Voters are more disengaged with this election than they have been in nearly 20 years, according to an article in the Columbia Journalism Review.

On Twitter, the journalist Brian Stelter said that the television ratings "are also further proof of political FATIGUE in America. Many people are tired and tuned out."

"That portends turnout falling and maybe even crashing," Jonathan Martin, a senior political columnist at Politico, tweeted in response.

Given the reactions to Biden's performance, the relatively lackluster viewership may have been a blessing.

• These 12 stars have decided not to publicly define their sexuality.
• Ariana Grande said she doesn't "feel the need" to clarify, while Harry Styles said it's "personal."
• Billie Eilish, Lily-Rose Depp, Joshua Bassett, and more have similarly declined to use labels.

Billie Eilish said of her sexuality: "Who fucking cares?"

Eilish has only publicly dated men, though she spoke openly about her attraction to women during a 2023 interview with Variety.

 After Eilish's revelation sparked headlines, the Grammy winner said she thought it was "obvious," adding, "I just don't really believe in it. I'm just like, 'Why can't we just exist?'"

The "Hit Me Hard and Soft" singer also declared that "nobody should be pressured" to come out or label their sexuality.

"Who fucking cares?" she told Rolling Stone. "The whole world suddenly decided who I was, and I didn't get to say anything or control any of it."

"Dude, I've known people that don't know their sexuality, or feel comfortable with it, until they're in their forties, fifties, sixties," Eilish continued. "It takes a while to find yourself, and I think it's really unfair, the way that the internet bullies you into talking about who you are and what you are."

Lizzo said she doesn't "ascribe to just one thing."

The "Everybody's Gay" singer took an indefinite approach to gender and sexuality in a 2018 interview with Billboard.

"I personally don't ascribe to just one thing. I cannot sit here right now and tell you I'm just one thing," she said. "That's why the colors for LGBTQ+ are a rainbow! Because there's a spectrum, and right now we try to keep it black and white. That's just not working for me."

More recently, Lizzo described monogamy as "a little claustrophobic" because she doesn't "want any rules" when it comes to love.

"That doesn't mean I'm out here fucking and sucking and ducking. It doesn't mean he is either," she said, referring to her boyfriend Myke Wright. "It just means that there are no expectations, and that way, the love gets to just be the main event."

Joshua Bassett said he's "anti-coming out in the sense that there's no need to."

Bassett clarified that he "wasn't joking" when he said he was attracted to Harry Styles, but also told GQ that he's not "rushing to a conclusion" about his sexuality.

"There are plenty of letters in the alphabet," he said. "Sometimes your letter changes, sometimes you try a different one, other times you realize you're not what you thought you were, or maybe you always knew. All of these can be true."

"I'm happy to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community because they embrace all," he continued. "Don't let anyone tell you love isn't love. They're the ones who probably need it the most."

Bebe Rexha said her sexuality is "fluid" and she doesn't care about gender.

Rexha opened up about her sexuality in a 2021 interview with Gay Times, saying she's attracted to "whoever inspires me."

"It's just so hard because everybody wants to put people in boxes and I don't like boxes, as you can tell with my music," she said, adding that she believes sexuality is a "scale."

"Until I find 'the one,' I can't just say what I am. I just want to find someone I love and who loves me — and I don't care if that's a boy or a girl," she said.

Shay Mitchell said she's "never going to label" herself.

Mitchell, who played the lesbian character Emily Fields on "Pretty Little Liars," opened up to Cosmopolitan about her fluid approach to dating.

"When I started, people were like, 'What are you?' I'm like, right now I'm dating a guy.
 I don't know what it's going to be in three years," she said.

"You love who you love. Black, white, polka-dot, that's what my dad always said. I'm never going to label myself," she continued. "I could be 50 and dating a woman and then what? I said I was straight and now I'm not?"

When asked about his sexuality, Tyler Posey said, "I just wanna be me."

Posey told fans that he's had sexual experiences with men during a livestream on OnlyFans. This inspired tabloids to describe him as "pansexual," which Posey didn't necessarily agree with.

"I didn't label that. The kids, the fans, or whoever wrote those articles labeled that," he told Variety. "I thought that was really interesting that it just broke down this wall that I didn't feel like I put up, but it was easier for me to just be honest about all that stuff."

The "Teen Wolf" star also told Zach Sang that he's "sexually fluid," but isn't committed to a specific term.

"I've never defined myself. I don't think I want to put a label on myself 'cause somebody's going to get mad," he said. "Whatever. I'm just me. I've been with dudes, I've been with girls."

Tyler, the Creator has written songs about men and women but never clarified his sexuality.

Tyler, the Creator seemed to come out as queer on "I Ain't Got Time," a single from his 2017 album "Flower Boy" ("Next line will have 'em like 'woah' / I've been kissing white boys since 2004").

The album's seventh track "Garden Shed" has also been interpreted as a metaphor for being closeted ("Truth is, since a youth kid, thought it was a phase / Thought it'd be like the phrase 'poof,' gone / But it's still goin' on").

On the heels of his 2019 Grammy-winning album "Igor," which explores an emotionally turbulent love affair with a man, GQ asked him about his sexuality.

"I like girls — I just end up fucking their brother every time," he said.

In response to a question about his sexuality, Frank Ocean said, "You can't feel a label."

Much like Tyler (his former Odd Future bandmate), Ocean has written songs about relationships with both men and women. His debut album, "Channel Orange," was an homage to his first love.

"I was 19 years old. He was too," Ocean revealed on Tumblr.

"Back then, my mind would wander to the women I had been with, the ones I cared for and thought I was in love with," he wrote. "I reminisced about the sentimental songs I enjoyed when I was a teenager.. The ones I played when I experienced a girlfriend for the first time. I realized they were written in a language I did not yet speak."

However, when GQ asked in 2012 if Ocean considers himself bisexual, the singer declined to answer.

"You can move to the next question. I'll respectfully say that life is dynamic and comes along with dynamic experiences, and the same sentiment that I have towards genres of music, I have towards a lot of labels and bos and shit," he said.

"As a writer, as a creator, I'm giving you my experiences," he continued. "But just take what I give you. You ain't got to pry beyond that. I'm giving you what I feel like you can feel. The other shit, you can't feel. You can't feel a box. You can't feel a label. Don't get caught up in that shit."

Keke Palmer said she's "not bound in my sexuality."

In 2015, Palmer released a music video for her single "I Don't Belong To You," which sees her leaving a man's bed to meet up with a woman.

"The video was to represent the young woman today — it's not the traditional woman anymore — and not the specifics of 'Am I gay? Am I straight? Am I bi?'" she told People.

"I'm making the rules for myself, and I don't have to be stuck down to one label I don't feel the need to define nothing to nobody, because I'm always changing," she continued. "Why say that I'm this or that when I might not be tomorrow? I'm gonna follow my own feelings and my own heart."

More recently, the "Nope" actor explained her fluid approach in an interview with Them.

"I'm not bound in my sexuality. I'm just doing me," she said. "I think that hopefully people are coming around to that reality when it comes to the queer community. Why the hell do I need to declare to you who's laying in my bed?"

Lily-Rose Depp said that her sexuality is "not set in stone" and "not anybody's business."

After Depp posed for iO Tillett Wright's Self Evident Truths photography project, which "exists to spread awareness and understanding about a broader spectrum of human sexuality," she expressed discomfort with the public's reaction.

"A lot of people took it as me coming out, but that's not what I was trying to do. I was literally doing it just to say that you don't have to label your sexuality," she said during an interview with Nylon.

"You don't have to label yourself, because it's not set in stone. It's so fluid and there's so much pressure on kids to label themselves and say, 'This is what I am, this is what I like.' I was just trying to say that it's unnecessary," she continued.

The star of HBO's "The Idol" added: "It's not anybody's business, because I am going to date whoever I'm going to date."

Depp is currently in a relationship with 070 Shake, a rapper and singer who shares Depp's unlabeled approach to sexuality.

"I don't really identify myself as queer or gay or anything," she told Pitchfork. "I just like girls."

Harry Styles described questions about his sexuality as "outdated."

Styles has nodded to queerness throughout his solo career. He released his liberation anthem "Lights Up" on National Coming Out Day, wrote a song about disappointing boyfriends, and starred as a closeted gay man in the 2022 drama "My Policeman."

More recently, he described his Love on Tour set list as "sparkly bi music."

Styles has also insisted that he's not "sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting."

"I've been really open with it with my friends, but that's my personal experience; it's mine," he told Better Homes & Gardens.

"The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn't matter," he continued, "and it's about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you're checking."

Ariana Grande said she doesn't "feel the need" to label herself.

Grande, who has long been an outspoken ally of the LGBTQ community, sparked speculation about her own sexuality when she released the 2019 single "Monopoly."

"I like women and men," she sings in the post-chorus.

The song was cowritten by Grande's close friend and collaborator Victoria Monét, who is openly bisexual.

When a fan asked Monét on Instagram if Grande is also bisexual, the songwriter replied, "She said what she said."

Grande later chimed in on Twitter and defended her decision not to "label" herself.

"i haven't before and still don't feel the need to now," Grande wrote. "which is OK."

• The Education Deparment is placing 3 million student-loan borrowers on administrative forbearance.
• It's a result of recent court rulings that blocked key parts of the SAVE plan, including debt relief and lower bills.
• The department will also be taking down online applications for income-driven repayment plans to avoid inaccurate information.

After federal courts blocked key parts of President Joe Biden's new repayment plan, the Education Department announced additional steps to help borrowers during this time.

On Monday, two separate rulings from federal judges in Kansas and Missouri placed preliminary injunctions on key provisions in the SAVE income-driven repayment plan. These included blocking a shorter timeline for student-loan forgiveness and new provisions set to go into effect on July 1, including lower monthly payments for undergraduate borrowers.

The Justice Department appealed both decisions and while courts have yet to make a final decision on the fate of the SAVE plan, relief is temporarily blocked. An Education Department spokesperson told Business Insider that as a result of the rulings, the department will place about 3 million borrowers with payment amounts greater than $0 on administrative forbearance, during which they will not owe any payments, and interest will not accrue.

Additionally, the department is taking down all online applications for income-driven repayment plans and loan consolidations to ensure borrowers do not receive inaccurate information during this time. These changes are expected to take about four to six weeks, and borrowers can continue to submit paper applications for income-driven repayment programs or SAVE, which servicers will continue to process.

"President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary Cardona remain committed to fixing a broken student loan system and making college more affordable for more Americans," a department spokesperson said in a statement. "They will not stop vigorously defending the SAVE Plan, the most affordable repayment plan in history, and will continue to fight for this long-overdue relief, no matter how many times Republican elected officials and their allies try to stop them."

The department will directly communicate these changes to impacted borrowers in the coming days.

The lawsuits in question were filed earlier this year by a group of GOP state attorneys general who argued the relief through the SAVE plan was an overreach of Biden's authority and harmed their states' tax revenues.

Both judges ruled that elements of the SAVE plan that have already gone into effect can remain in place, but any forthcoming relief — like continued batches of borrowers qualifying for loan forgiveness — cannot be implemented as the legal process progresses.

Following the rulings, some advocates and Democratic lawmakers called on the Education Department to place impacted borrowers on forbearance or implement another form of relief, given the confusion that could result from the injunctions.

"This damning and harmful lawsuit will only throw struggling borrowers further into chaos, deny them the student debt cancellation they demand and deserve, and prevent them from purchasing homes, growing their families, and so much more," Rep. Ayanna Pressley said in a Tuesday statement.
"The Biden Administration must continue to take immediate action to ensure borrowers receive the student debt cancellation they were promised."

• Michaela Dante splurged on Jimmy Choo heels for her wedding.
• She said the shoes broke before the wedding, and the retailer chalked it up to "normal wear and tear."
• The brand later apologized to Dante and sent her a new pair of shoes and a purse.

Michaela Dante, 26, had never purchased a luxury product before her wedding, but she decided her big day was a good excuse to splurge on a pair of heels.

"I figured I'm not going to wear my dress again, but I'll definitely wear a pair of shoes that I can have for anniversaries and special occasions and pop them on when I want to feel beautiful," the Bay Area bride, who is getting married on July 20, told Business Insider. "I kind of just assumed that buying the luxury route guaranteed that they would have some longevity."

Dante said she considered shoes from several different high-end retailers because she was searching for heels with a fairly specific height. In April, she found what she thought were the perfect shoes at Jimmy Choo.

But she said the shoes broke before the wedding, leading to a weeklong, frustrating experience with staff from the store.

Dante told BI that representatives from Jimmy Choo apologized to her for her experience on Tuesday. The brand did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Dante said she discovered the shoes were ripping at one of her bridal fittings

The Aurelie 65 shoes Dante selected were 65 millimeters tall, made of patent leather, and had a pointed toe.

The pearl-studded strap on top of the shoe completed the look, which Dante said she loved because her wedding dress features pearl detailing. She also said she was surprised by how comfortable they were.

The shoes are listed for $995 online. According to a receipt reviewed by BI, Dante paid $1,085.95 for them after taxes.

Dante said she barely took the shoes out of the box after buying them. However, she brought them to one of her final wedding dress fittings in June to ensure the dress was hemmed to the height of her heels.

"I had them on to place the bustle," she said of the shoes. "When I took them off to hand them to my mom — because I've been keeping them in their box in their dust bag with the stuffing in them — she was like, 'What is this?'"

That's when Dante saw that the leather was ripped in the crease of the point at the front of one of the shoes.

The tear wasn't huge. But Dante said she had worn the shoes for under five minutes, so she was concerned they wouldn't hold up for her wedding.

"I wasn't too worried about it at that point because I was like, 'Well, obviously they'll fix it," Dante said.

Replacing the shoes was difficult, according to Dante

Dante said she first tried to rectify the issue on the phone, calling the Jimmy Choo location where she bought the shoes later that day.

She said the sales associate she spoke to — who was not the same person who initially sold her the shoes — first chalked the rip up to "normal wear and tear," not seeming to understand Dante hadn't worn the shoes for more than five minutes maximum.

"It almost felt like I was getting a runaround," Dante said. "My concerns weren't really being addressed."

Dante told BI she then went to Jimmy Choo in person to speak with the salesperson who originally sold her the shoes because she would know more about the purchase. When she arrived, she said the employee didn't seem to know the details of her situation despite her coworker promising Dante she would inform her. She also said she could do nothing about the rip since Dante had technically worn the shoe, but she offered to speak to her manager.

Dante said the salesperson and her manager agreed to swap the pair, telling her it was a "one-time" deal.

When the salesperson opened the box of replacement shoes, Dante said she discovered the new pair was broken, too, as the fishing wire that held the pearls was detached on one side of one of the shoes.

"At that point, I kind of felt sick to my stomach because I was like, 'What are we paying for when we're buying luxury items?'" Dante said. "I felt pretty stupid for doing it in the first place."

Dante ultimately got a refund

Dante considered buying a different pair of Jimmy Choo shoes but ultimately decided she just wanted a refund on the original pair.

She said the employee told her she couldn't refund the shoes without her manager's presence, promising the manager would call her to finish the transaction.

"It was kind of like a waiting game of hearing back from the manager, and I never did," she said.

After several days of waiting for a call, Dante said she called the store back to speak to the manager. Again, she said, there was a communication breakdown, and the manager was unaware of the details of Dante's situation.

"He knew that there was a damaged pair of shoes, but he didn't know that he was supposed to call me," Dante said, adding that the manager told her that her issue was not "really high on the priority list."

"It was just very unprofessional," she said.

Dante also said the manager didn't seem inclined to give her a refund until she told him she had posted a TikTok video about her experience with the store. The video she posted on June 14 had over 9.1 million views as of Friday.

Dante told BI she expected better customer service from a luxury retailer.

"As a company, if Jimmy Choo is selling this kind of a product, they really should be providing some sort of an experience, and it wasn't like that," she said.

Dante said Jimmy Choo's president and the vice president for the regional sales team for her area called her on Tuesday to apologize for her experience with the brand. She told BI the brand also gifted her a replacement pair of shoes and a handbag.

"I felt glad to know that they understood why the situation was stressful and that they wanted to make it right," Dante said of hearing from the brand. She added that she was glad their contact could lead the company to "implement better practices moving forward if others have faulty products that need rectification."

Dante said in a TikTok video about Jimmy Choo's apology that she plans to wear the replacement shoes the brand is sending her to her wedding. But she told BI she won't be in a rush to buy another luxury product herself.

"We live in a time when it seems like everybody has a designer bag," she said. "It seems like this really special thing to do, and I don't necessarily think that it is, which honestly made me feel better because it's like, 'OK, I'm not really missing out on anything.'"

"I thought there was a guarantee in designer items," she added. "But designer doesn't mean they're going to hold up and last better than a non-designer item."

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• "The Bear" and "The Mole" both returned with new seasons this week.
• "Killers of the Flower Moon" star Lily Gladstone stars in a new movie that's now streaming.
• Netflix also has a new reality show about luxury realtors.

What do "The Bear" and "The Mole" have in common?

Aside from both having the name of an animal in their title, they're also both back with new episodes this week.

FX's critically acclaimed dramedy starring Jeremy Allen White as a young chef in Chicago returned for its third season. Over on Netflix, the reality competition series "The Mole" is back for its second outing on the streamer, with the first five episodes of the season out now.

There are also two new documentaries about powerful women worth checking out.

Here's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're looking for.

A new season of "The Bear" is out now

All 10 episodes of the FX hit's third season were released Wednesday night, thanks to the show's controversial all-at-once drop schedule. It picks up right after the season two finale.

Some critics are calling the new season too indulgent for its own good, but most agree it's still one of the best TV shows right now.

Streaming on: Hulu

Fashion lovers should check out "Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge"

The celebrated fashion designer gets the documentary treatment in a film co-directed by Trish Dalton and Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. It tracks von Furstenberg's background as the child of a Holocaust survivor growing up in post-World War II Europe all the way through her career today.

"Woman in Charge" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month but just got a global streaming release this week.

Streaming on: Hulu

Music fans can tune in to "I Am: Celine Dion"

The iconic singer opens up about her life and her health struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome in an emotional new documentary.

"I Am: Celine Dion" is raw and moving, with Dion emotionally opening up about powering through her pain to continue performing before her diagnosis was made public and admitting she "could've died" from the high dosages of Valium she was taking to manage her condition while on tour.

Streaming on: Prime Video

Live vicariously through luxury realtors by watching "Owning Manhattan"

Step aside, "Selling Sunset." Netflix's latest reality show about luxury real-estate brokers shifts the focus to the East Coast and to Ryan Serhant, the mogul behind one of the largest brokerages in New York City who previously starred in Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing New York" for nine seasons.

Streaming on: Netflix

Or for a competition series fix, watch the new season of 'The Mole'

This is technically the seventh overall season of "The Mole," which originally aired on ABC from 2001 to 2008 before being revived on Netflix in 2022, when the streamer released its first season of the reboot.

Ari Shapiro takes over as host, but the format is still pretty much the same: Twelve players complete challenges to earn money toward a prize pot, all while one of those 12 is secretly trying to sabotage their earnings.

Streaming on: Netflix

True crime fans can check out "TikTok Star Murders"

This harrowing new true-crime documentary tells the story of TikToker Ali Abulaban, who was convicted of murdering his wife, Ana Abulaban, and her friend Rayburn Barron.

Streaming on: Peacock

Looking for a drama? Watch "Fancy Dance"

"Killers of the Flower Moon" standout and Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone stars as Jax, an Indigenous woman living on an Oklahoma reservation who takes over caring for her niece after her sister goes missing in this family drama.

Streaming on: Apple TV+

For historical-fantasy vibes, tune into "My Lady Jane"

If you liked how "Dickinson" played fast and loose with history, "My Lady Jane" will be your jam.

The British series is a reimagining of the life of the real Lady Jane Grey, who was beheaded after nine days as the queen of England. In this version, there are also shape-shifting humans who can transform into animals, because why not?

Streaming on: Prime Video

For a home renovation show with a deeper message, watch "Breaking New Ground"

This new docuseries follows the uplifting story of Robert Hardwell, a gay Black Broadway performer, as he buys and gut-renovates a 200-year-old Plantation-style home in Massachusetts.

Streaming on: Max

• AI will cut the marginal costs of producing information, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman says.
• Suleyman predicts near-zero marginal cost for new knowledge production in 15-20 years.
• Suleyman believes these changes will mark a "true inflection point" in human history.

If the internet dramatically cut the costs of producing information, AI is bound to eliminate them.

That's according to Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI.

"The economics of information are about to radically change," Suleyman said in an interview with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Aspen Ideas Festival this week. "In 15 or 20 years' time, we will be producing new scientific, cultural knowledge at almost zero marginal cost."

Marginal cost is the change in the total cost of production when the quantity is increased. By then, he added, information will also be open-sourced, which means it'll be available to everyone.

In Suleyman's view, that's a net positive because humans' core function is to produce knowledge, and AI is just going to "turbocharge" that.

"I think that is gonna be, you know, a true inflection point in the history of our species," he said, "because what are we, collectively, as an organism of humans, other than a knowledge, an intellectual production engine."

Suleyman has long been considered one of the top minds in AI. He co-founded DeepMind, an AI lab acquired by Google in 2010 that has made significant progress, particularly in healthcare. He joined Microsoft in March and has said his main goal is to "uplevel the quality of Copilot," which is the company's version of an AI assistant that works with business applications.