diff --git a/pkg/controller/replication_controller.go b/pkg/controller/replication_controller.go
index 552c836c433..90479489f01 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/replication_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/replication_controller.go
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"math/rand"
 	"strings"
-	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/api"
@@ -38,7 +37,7 @@ type ReplicationManager struct {
 	etcdClient util.EtcdClient
 	kubeClient client.ClientInterface
 	podControl PodControlInterface
-	updateLock sync.Mutex
+	syncTime   <-chan time.Time
 }
 
 // An interface that knows how to add or delete pods
@@ -86,7 +85,7 @@ func MakeReplicationManager(etcdClient util.EtcdClient, kubeClient client.Client
 
 // Begin watching and syncing.
 func (rm *ReplicationManager) Run(period time.Duration) {
-	go util.Forever(func() { rm.synchronize() }, period)
+	rm.syncTime = time.Tick(period)
 	go util.Forever(func() { rm.watchControllers() }, period)
 }
 
@@ -101,23 +100,27 @@ func (rm *ReplicationManager) watchControllers() {
 	}()
 
 	for {
-		watchResponse, ok := <-watchChannel
-		if !ok {
-			// watchChannel has been closed. Let the util.Forever() that
-			// called us call us again.
-			return
+		select {
+		case <-rm.syncTime:
+			rm.synchronize()
+		case watchResponse, ok := <-watchChannel:
+			if !ok {
+				// watchChannel has been closed. Let the util.Forever() that
+				// called us call us again.
+				return
+			}
+			if watchResponse == nil {
+				time.Sleep(time.Second * 10)
+				continue
+			}
+			log.Printf("Got watch: %#v", watchResponse)
+			controller, err := rm.handleWatchResponse(watchResponse)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Printf("Error handling data: %#v, %#v", err, watchResponse)
+				continue
+			}
+			rm.syncReplicationController(*controller)
 		}
-		if watchResponse == nil {
-			time.Sleep(time.Second * 10)
-			continue
-		}
-		log.Printf("Got watch: %#v", watchResponse)
-		controller, err := rm.handleWatchResponse(watchResponse)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.Printf("Error handling data: %#v, %#v", err, watchResponse)
-			continue
-		}
-		rm.syncReplicationController(*controller)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -148,8 +151,6 @@ func (rm *ReplicationManager) filterActivePods(pods []api.Pod) []api.Pod {
 }
 
 func (rm *ReplicationManager) syncReplicationController(controllerSpec api.ReplicationController) error {
-	rm.updateLock.Lock()
-	defer rm.updateLock.Unlock()
 	podList, err := rm.kubeClient.ListPods(controllerSpec.DesiredState.ReplicasInSet)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -173,30 +174,16 @@ func (rm *ReplicationManager) syncReplicationController(controllerSpec api.Repli
 }
 
 func (rm *ReplicationManager) synchronize() {
-	response, err := rm.etcdClient.Get("/registry/controllers", false, false)
+	var controllerSpecs []api.ReplicationController
+	helper := util.EtcdHelper{rm.etcdClient}
+	err := helper.ExtractList("/registry/controllers", &controllerSpecs)
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Printf("Synchronization error %#v", err)
+		log.Printf("Synchronization error: %v (%#v)", err, err)
 	}
-	// TODO(bburns): There is a race here, if we get a version of the controllers, and then it is
-	// updated, its possible that the watch will pick up the change first, and then we will execute
-	// using the old version of the controller.
-	// Probably the correct thing to do is to use the version number in etcd to detect when
-	// we are stale.
-	// Punting on this for now, but this could lead to some nasty bugs, so we should really fix it
-	// sooner rather than later.
-	if response != nil && response.Node != nil && response.Node.Nodes != nil {
-		for _, value := range response.Node.Nodes {
-			var controllerSpec api.ReplicationController
-			err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(value.Value), &controllerSpec)
-			if err != nil {
-				log.Printf("Unexpected error: %#v", err)
-				continue
-			}
-			log.Printf("Synchronizing %s\n", controllerSpec.ID)
-			err = rm.syncReplicationController(controllerSpec)
-			if err != nil {
-				log.Printf("Error synchronizing: %#v", err)
-			}
+	for _, controllerSpec := range controllerSpecs {
+		err = rm.syncReplicationController(controllerSpec)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("Error synchronizing: %#v", err)
 		}
 	}
 }