diff --git a/test/e2e_federation/federated-service.go b/test/e2e_federation/federated-service.go
index 3f2a6e4051..77168fbfa7 100644
--- a/test/e2e_federation/federated-service.go
+++ b/test/e2e_federation/federated-service.go
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Federated Services [Feature:Federation]", func()
 			clusters, primaryClusterName = getRegisteredClusters(UserAgentName, f)
 		})
 
-		Describe("service creation", func() {
+		Describe("Federated Service", func() {
 			var (
 				service *v1.Service
 				nsName  string
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Federated Services [Feature:Federation]", func()
 
 			BeforeEach(func() {
 				fedframework.SkipUnlessFederated(f.ClientSet)
-				// Placeholder
+				nsName = f.FederationNamespace.Name
 			})
 
 			AfterEach(func() {
@@ -116,8 +116,6 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Federated Services [Feature:Federation]", func()
 
 			It("should create matching services in underlying clusters", func() {
 				fedframework.SkipUnlessFederated(f.ClientSet)
-
-				nsName = f.FederationNamespace.Name
 				service = createServiceOrFail(f.FederationClientset, nsName, FederatedServiceName)
 				defer func() { // Cleanup
 					By(fmt.Sprintf("Deleting service %q in namespace %q", service.Name, nsName))
@@ -129,7 +127,6 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Federated Services [Feature:Federation]", func()
 
 			It("should be deleted from underlying clusters when OrphanDependents is false", func() {
 				fedframework.SkipUnlessFederated(f.ClientSet)
-				nsName := f.FederationNamespace.Name
 				orphanDependents := false
 				verifyCascadingDeletionForService(f.FederationClientset, clusters, &orphanDependents, nsName)
 				By(fmt.Sprintf("Verified that services were deleted from underlying clusters"))
@@ -137,7 +134,6 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Federated Services [Feature:Federation]", func()
 
 			It("should not be deleted from underlying clusters when OrphanDependents is true", func() {
 				fedframework.SkipUnlessFederated(f.ClientSet)
-				nsName := f.FederationNamespace.Name
 				orphanDependents := true
 				verifyCascadingDeletionForService(f.FederationClientset, clusters, &orphanDependents, nsName)
 				By(fmt.Sprintf("Verified that services were not deleted from underlying clusters"))
@@ -145,7 +141,6 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Federated Services [Feature:Federation]", func()
 
 			It("should not be deleted from underlying clusters when OrphanDependents is nil", func() {
 				fedframework.SkipUnlessFederated(f.ClientSet)
-				nsName := f.FederationNamespace.Name
 				verifyCascadingDeletionForService(f.FederationClientset, clusters, nil, nsName)
 				By(fmt.Sprintf("Verified that services were not deleted from underlying clusters"))
 			})
diff --git a/test/e2e_federation/federation-util.go b/test/e2e_federation/federation-util.go
index e616083508..0a42324335 100644
--- a/test/e2e_federation/federation-util.go
+++ b/test/e2e_federation/federation-util.go
@@ -217,7 +217,6 @@ func getRegisteredClusters(userAgentName string, f *fedframework.Framework) (map
 */
 func waitForServiceOrFail(clientset *kubeclientset.Clientset, namespace string, service *v1.Service, present bool, timeout time.Duration) {
 	By(fmt.Sprintf("Fetching a federated service shard of service %q in namespace %q from cluster", service.Name, namespace))
-	var clusterService *v1.Service
 	err := wait.PollImmediate(framework.Poll, timeout, func() (bool, error) {
 		clusterService, err := clientset.Services(namespace).Get(service.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
 		if (!present) && errors.IsNotFound(err) { // We want it gone, and it's gone.
@@ -225,17 +224,16 @@ func waitForServiceOrFail(clientset *kubeclientset.Clientset, namespace string,
 			return true, nil // Success
 		}
 		if present && err == nil { // We want it present, and the Get succeeded, so we're all good.
-			By(fmt.Sprintf("Success: shard of federated service %q in namespace %q in cluster is present", service.Name, namespace))
-			return true, nil // Success
+			if equivalent(*clusterService, *service) {
+				By(fmt.Sprintf("Success: shard of federated service %q in namespace %q in cluster is present", service.Name, namespace))
+				return true, nil // Success
+			}
+			return false, nil
 		}
 		By(fmt.Sprintf("Service %q in namespace %q in cluster.  Found: %v, waiting for Found: %v, trying again in %s (err=%v)", service.Name, namespace, clusterService != nil && err == nil, present, framework.Poll, err))
 		return false, nil
 	})
 	framework.ExpectNoError(err, "Failed to verify service %q in namespace %q in cluster: Present=%v", service.Name, namespace, present)
-
-	if present && clusterService != nil {
-		Expect(equivalent(*clusterService, *service))
-	}
 }
 
 /*