diff --git a/terratest/test/k8gb_failover_playground_test.go b/terratest/test/k8gb_failover_playground_test.go
index 193a68035d..cf3b006d47 100644
--- a/terratest/test/k8gb_failover_playground_test.go
+++ b/terratest/test/k8gb_failover_playground_test.go
@@ -72,11 +72,13 @@ func TestFailoverPlayground(t *testing.T) {
 
 	t.Run("stop podinfo on eu cluster", func(t *testing.T) {
 		instanceEU.StopTestApp()
+		require.NoError(t, instanceEU.WaitForAppIsStopped())
 		actAndAssert(t.Name(), usGeoTag, usLocalTargets)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("start podinfo again on eu cluster", func(t *testing.T) {
 		instanceEU.StartTestApp()
+		require.NoError(t, instanceEU.WaitForAppIsRunning())
 		actAndAssert(t.Name(), euGeoTag, euLocalTargets)
 	})
 }
diff --git a/terratest/utils/extensions.go b/terratest/utils/extensions.go
index c6d6463df9..28e0d4d966 100644
--- a/terratest/utils/extensions.go
+++ b/terratest/utils/extensions.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ import (
 type Workflow struct {
 	error      error
 	namespace  string
-	cluster	 string
+	cluster    string
 	k8sOptions *k8s.KubectlOptions
 	t          *testing.T
 	settings   struct {
@@ -92,10 +92,10 @@ type InstanceStatus struct {
 	GslbHealthStatus string   `json:"gslb-status"`
 	Cluster          string   `json:"cluster"`
 	Namespace        string   `json:"namespace"`
-	Endpoint0DNSName string `json:"ep0-dns-name"`
-	Endpoint0Targets string `json:"ep0-dns-targets"`
-	Endpoint1DNSName string `json:"ep1-dns-name"`
-	Endpoint1Targets string `json:"ep1-dns-targets"`
+	Endpoint0DNSName string   `json:"ep0-dns-name"`
+	Endpoint0Targets string   `json:"ep0-dns-targets"`
+	Endpoint1DNSName string   `json:"ep1-dns-name"`
+	Endpoint1Targets string   `json:"ep1-dns-targets"`
 }
 
 func NewWorkflow(t *testing.T, cluster string, port int) *Workflow {
@@ -297,24 +297,41 @@ func (i *Instance) WaitForGSLB(instances ...*Instance) ([]string, error) {
 func (i *Instance) WaitForExpected(expectedIPs []string) (err error) {
 	_, err = waitForLocalGSLBNew(i.w.t, i.w.state.gslb.host, i.w.state.gslb.port, expectedIPs)
 	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Println(i.GetStatus(fmt.Sprintf("expected IPs: %s",expectedIPs)).String())
+		fmt.Println(i.GetStatus(fmt.Sprintf("expected IPs: %s", expectedIPs)).String())
 	}
 	return
 }
 
 // WaitForAppIsRunning waits until app has one pod running
 func (i *Instance) WaitForAppIsRunning() (err error) {
-	f := func()([]string, error){
-		r := i.GetStatus("").AppReplicas
-		return []string{r}, nil
+	return i.waitForApp(func(instances int) bool { return instances > 0 })
+}
+
+// WaitForAppIsStopped waits until app has 0 pods running
+func (i *Instance) WaitForAppIsStopped() (err error) {
+	return i.waitForApp(func(instances int) bool { return instances == 0 })
+}
+
+// WaitForAppIsRunning waits until app has one pod running
+func (i *Instance) waitForApp(action func(instances int) bool) (err error) {
+	const description = "Wait for app is running"
+	for n := 0; n < 25; n++ {
+		var r int
+		rep := i.GetStatus("").AppReplicas
+		// r == 0
+		if rep != "<none>" {
+			r, err = strconv.Atoi(rep)
+			if err != nil {
+				i.w.t.Logf("%s returned an error: %s.", description, err)
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+		if action(r) {
+			i.w.t.Logf("%s found match: Expected:(%v)", description, r)
+			return nil
+		}
+		i.w.t.Logf("Application %s is not in expected state. Waiting...", i.w.state.testApp.name)
 	}
-	_, err = DoWithRetryWaitingForValueE(
-		i.w.t,
-		"Wait for failover to happen and coredns to pickup new values...",
-		100,
-		time.Second*1,
-		func() ([]string, error) { return f() },
-		[]string{"1"})
 	return
 }
 
@@ -359,7 +376,7 @@ func (i *Instance) HitTestApp() (result *TestAppResult) {
 
 // GetStatus reads overall status about instance. Status can be used for assertion as well as printed to test output
 // Annotation argument is just free text which might be used in various test scenarios
-func (i *Instance) GetStatus(annotation string) (s *InstanceStatus){
+func (i *Instance) GetStatus(annotation string) (s *InstanceStatus) {
 	const na = "n/a"
 	var err error
 	s = new(InstanceStatus)
@@ -372,8 +389,8 @@ func (i *Instance) GetStatus(annotation string) (s *InstanceStatus){
 	s.CoreDNS = i.GetCoreDNSIP()
 	s.AppMessage = i.w.state.testApp.message
 	s.AppRunning = i.w.state.testApp.isRunning
-	s.AppReplicas, err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions, "get", "deployments","frontend-podinfo",
-		"-o","custom-columns=STATUS:.status.replicas", "--no-headers")
+	s.AppReplicas, err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions, "get", "deployments", "frontend-podinfo",
+		"-o", "custom-columns=STATUS:.status.readyReplicas", "--no-headers")
 	if err != nil {
 		s.AppReplicas = na
 	}
@@ -382,22 +399,22 @@ func (i *Instance) GetStatus(annotation string) (s *InstanceStatus){
 	if err != nil {
 		s.GslbHealthStatus = na
 	}
-	s.Endpoint0DNSName,err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions,"get","dnsendpoints.externaldns.k8s.io","test-gslb","-o",
+	s.Endpoint0DNSName, err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions, "get", "dnsendpoints.externaldns.k8s.io", "test-gslb", "-o",
 		"custom-columns=SERVICESTATUS:.spec.endpoints[0].dnsName", "--no-headers")
 	if err != nil {
 		s.Endpoint0DNSName = na
 	}
-	s.Endpoint0Targets,err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions,"get","dnsendpoints.externaldns.k8s.io","test-gslb","-o",
+	s.Endpoint0Targets, err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions, "get", "dnsendpoints.externaldns.k8s.io", "test-gslb", "-o",
 		"custom-columns=SERVICESTATUS:.spec.endpoints[0].targets", "--no-headers")
 	if err != nil {
 		s.Endpoint0Targets = na
 	}
-	s.Endpoint1DNSName,err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions,"get","dnsendpoints.externaldns.k8s.io","test-gslb","-o",
+	s.Endpoint1DNSName, err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions, "get", "dnsendpoints.externaldns.k8s.io", "test-gslb", "-o",
 		"custom-columns=SERVICESTATUS:.spec.endpoints[1].dnsName", "--no-headers")
 	if err != nil {
 		s.Endpoint1DNSName = na
 	}
-	s.Endpoint1Targets,err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions,"get","dnsendpoints.externaldns.k8s.io","test-gslb","-o",
+	s.Endpoint1Targets, err = k8s.RunKubectlAndGetOutputE(i.w.t, i.w.k8sOptions, "get", "dnsendpoints.externaldns.k8s.io", "test-gslb", "-o",
 		"custom-columns=SERVICESTATUS:.spec.endpoints[1].targets", "--no-headers")
 	if err != nil {
 		s.Endpoint1Targets = na