Delta Work | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Delta Work in 2017 | |
| Born | Gabriel A. Villarreal (1976-01-23)January 23, 1976 (age 49) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupations |
|
| Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (2018) |
Delta Work is the stage name ofGabriel A. Villarreal,[1][2] anEmmy Award-winning Americandrag performer and stylist, best known for competing on thethird season (2011) of the reality competition television seriesRuPaul's Drag Race.
Work received thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special at the70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (2018) for her work as a personalhairstylist forDrag Race.[3]
Work hosted the podcastVery That alongside season-three winner and fellow drag performerRaja.[4] She currently hosts theYouTube podcastVery Delta,[5] following the end ofVery That, produced by Moguls of Media (MOM) Podcasts.[6]
Villarreal was born inLos Angeles County, California. Her father was a veteran of theVietnam War who was subjected toAgent Orange during his service.[7] Villarreal grew up inNorwalk, California.[8] Her and her mother would go toEscondido, California to go to a bakery called Muffin Break.[9]
Work's drag mother isMiss Coco Peru, whom she met in Los Angeles during the beginnings of her drag career.[10] Work started dressing in drag onHalloween 1998, at age 22 when she attended a rave in a "Natalie Merchant" style dress.[11][12] She had her real drag debut at Ozz in Buena Park at one ofRaja Gemini's Sunday Night Drag shows, dancing to a CD of Katalina's "DJ Girl."[13]
Before her television debut she was an active night club performer. Delta was a performer and producer at Southern California's longest running drag show the Dream Girls Revue and frequented the local contest circuit at clubs like Drag-A-Licious at Ripples in Long Beach and Drag-O-Rama at Ultra Suede in WeHo.[14]
Her drag name originates from when she attended a drag show and the performing group of queens, who were parodyingDesigning Women, needed a "bigger" queen to play the role ofDelta Burke's character, Suzanne Sugarbaker. After agreeing to and finishing the role, one queen commented afterwards that "you are not Delta Burke, you are Delta Work!"[15]
Work was selected, along with twelve other contestants, for thethird season ofRuPaul's Drag Race, which began airing on January 24, 2011, onLOGO TV.[16] During the season, Work chose to impersonateCher (a celebrity which she is not typically known for portraying) for the "Snatch Game" episode, where contestants embody a celebrity, in look and persona, and participate in animprov challenge similar to shows such asHollywood Squares orMatch Game.Bowen Yang wrote: "Delta barely made an attempt at all... Points for the wink atBob Mackie with her look, but otherwise Delta just waded around in her nothing-doing. Snap out of it!"[17] She placed seventh overall, losing alip sync performance toManila Luzon onDonna Summer's "MacArthur Park".[18]Out called the battle "certainly one of the most famous lip syncs" of the show.[19]
After season three, Work was seen as an audience member attending theseason five (2013) andseason six (2014) finale episodes,[20][21] and was a guest with otherDrag Race alumni for the first-episode challenge onseason ten (2018).[22] Work becameRuPaul's personalwig-stylist, for her judges' panel looks, beginning with the second episode of theninth season (2017), withseason two (2010) alumnusRaven styling hermakeup.[23] Work appeared as a guest for the first challenge in the premiere ofseason eleven (2019).[24]
In a 2023 interview with Joseph Shepherd, Work revealed that she did not work as RuPaul's wig stylist beyond the eleventh season. This was largely because of contractual disagreements over her involvement in RuPaul'sNetflix seriesAJ and the Queen, which led to another wig stylist being hired, who continued to work with RuPaul after that. Work also stated thatWorld of Wonder, the producers ofRuPaul's Drag Race, intentionally refrained from submitting her name for Emmy consideration for the eleventh season, despite her having done the same job as the tenth season when she won the award, because she was no longer working with them.[25] According to Work, during her last phone call with RuPaul, she was told in a casual manner, "If anything comes up, I'll let you know."
As a cast member ofDrag Race, Work appeared on a 2011 episode ofE!'sThe Soup with RuPaul, Raja, andShangela.[26] She made recurring appearances onWoWPresent's internet showFashion Photo RuView, filling in for Raja or Raven to critique looks fromDrag Race alumni and various other celebrities, with her first appearance on November 19, 2014.[27] However, this has ceased since Work no longer styles RuPaul. She also made regular appearances on the web showThe Pit Stop, which reviews each weekly episode ofDrag Race. She was on its debut episode on August 27, 2016.[28]
Work appeared on the cover ofSkorch Magazine in 2013.[29] In August 2015, she headlined Palouse Pride inMoscow, Idaho.[30] On August 6, 2016, she was invited on stage byAdele during aLos Angeles concert, while in full drag as an Adele impersonator. They took a selfie, which quickly went viral.[31][32]
Work received thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special at the70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (2018) for her work.[3] She portrayed Adele in the music video forTaylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" (June 2019).[33] Work performed with Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus at the MTV VMAs.[34]
From September 2020 to May 2023 Work co-hosted the conversational podcastVery That on the Forever Dog and Moguls of Media networks, alongside herRuPaul's Drag Race season three castmateRaja,[35] where the duo discussed recent news and answer questions from fans. The podcast's executive producers included fellowRuPaul's Drag Race alumniAlaska Thunderfuck andWillam Belli, who now host their ownDrag Race review podcast,Race Chasers.
While Raja was traveling, after competing onseason seven ofRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Work began hosting the spin-off podcastVery Delta, described as a "luxury public access podcast". The podcast continued after the eventual conclusion of its parent showVery That. OnVery Delta, Work interviews celebrities, drag performers, and nightlife personalities from theSouthern California area and beyond. Notable interviewees includeBianca Del Rio,Candis Cayne,Thorgy Thor,Jessica Wild andMargaret Cho.[36]
In July 2023 Work began hostingMore Very Delta, a supplement to the main podcast available exclusively to MOM Plus Gold subscribers.[37] In the same month, Work won the award for Best Local Radio/Podcast Personality for theOrange County,South Bay andWestside areas in the 2023 Best of the Southland awards, presented by theLos Angeles Times.[38][39][40]
Delta Work released her debut solo single, "The Walkin' Blues (Walk Right In, Walk Right Out)", on May 12, 2015.[41] She had previously recorded music as part ofThe Heathers, with Manila Luzon, Raja, andCarmen Carrera. The group released their debut single "Lady Marmalade" on June 6, 2014.[42]
On November 16, 2023, Work released the collaborative single "I Want House" with dance music duo BOY2K, based on a viral monologue fromVery Delta.[43]
Work works and lives inNorwalk, California, as of 2011.[44]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Frankly a Mess | Miss Edamame | |
| 2022 | Sex with Sue | Herself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 3) | Herself | Contestant (seventh place) | |
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | |||
| 2011 | The Soup | Episode: "The Soup Awards" | ||
| 2012 | Are You There, Chelsea? | Bartender | Cameo (1 episode) | [45] |
| 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 1) | Herself | Guest (1 episode) | |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 10) | Guest (1 episode) | ||
| 2019 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11) | Guest (2 episodes) | ||
| 2021 | NewsBeat | Correspondent | [46] | |
| 2023 | Gogo for the Gold | Episode: "Heel Appeal" |
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Lady Marmalade" | The Heathers | [47] | |
| 2019 | "Go Fish" | Manila Luzon | ||
| "You Need to Calm Down" | Taylor Swift | Adele impersonator | ||
| 2020 | "Ass Like Mine" | Morgan McMichaels | Herself | [48] |
| "Nerves of Steel" | Erasure | Herself | [49] |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Ring My Bell | Herself | [50] |
| 2013 | Cooking With Needles | [51] | |
| 2014-19 | Fashion Photo Ruview | ||
| 2015-2020 | Hey Qween! | [52] | |
| 2015 | Dear Delta | [53] | |
| 2016-19 | The Pit Stop |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | RuPaul: What's the Tee? | Guest | Episode: "Theraposer with Delta Work" | [54] |
| 2019, 2021 | Race Chaser withAlaska andWillam | 3 episodes; Moguls of Media production | [55][56][57] | |
| 2020–2023 | Very That with Delta andRaja | Co-host | WithRaja; 115 episodes; Moguls of Media production | [58] |
| 2020–2022 | Sloppy Seconds withBig Dipper andMeatball | Guest | 3 episodes; Moguls of Media production | [59][60][61] |
| 2022–present | Very Delta | Host | Moguls of Media production | [58] |
| 2023 | Fierce Rivalries | Co-host | With Kelsey Padgett; 24 episodes;Somethin' Else andSony Music Entertainment production | [62] |
| 2023 | I've Had It | Guest | Episode: "Is It Still Mansplaining If You're in Drag? with Delta Work" | [63] |
| 2023–present | More Very Delta | Host | Moguls of Media production; MOM Plus Gold exclusive extension ofVery Delta | [37] |
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Lady Marmalade" (withRaja,Manila Luzon andCarmen Carrera, as The Heathers) | Non-album singles |
| 2015 | "The Walkin' Blues (Walk Right In, Walk Right Out)" | |
| 2023 | "I Want House" (with BOY2K)[43] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special | RuPaul's Drag Race (Episode: "10s Across the Board") | Won | [64] |
| 2019 | MTV Video Music Awards | Video of the Year | "You Need to Calm Down" (as creative producer) | Won | [65] |
| Video for Good | Won | ||||
| 2023 | Los Angeles Times Best of the Southland Awards | Best Local Radio/Podcast Personality (Orange County) | Very Delta | Won | [38] |
| Best Local Radio/Podcast Personality (South Bay) | Won | [39] | |||
| Best Local Radio/Podcast Personality (Westside) | Won | [40] | |||
| Best Local Radio/Podcast Personality (Overall) | Won | [66] | |||
| 2024 | Queerty Awards | Podcast | Runner-up | [67][68] | |
| QueerX Awards | Best Podcast | Nominated | [69][70] | ||
| 2025 | Queerty Awards | Podcast | Won | [71][72] |
My name was given to me by some queen that hosted a show near where I live. They needed someone to be a Suzanne Sugarbaker character (Delta Burke) and my name came from that. One queen said you are not Delta Burke, you are Delta Work, and the rest is history!
