diff --git a/hack/make-rules/test-cmd-util.sh b/hack/make-rules/test-cmd-util.sh
index 428268c8ca9..3929e20ee57 100755
--- a/hack/make-rules/test-cmd-util.sh
+++ b/hack/make-rules/test-cmd-util.sh
@@ -1838,7 +1838,7 @@ run_non_native_resource_tests() {
   kubectl "${kube_flags[@]}" delete resources myobj --cascade=true
 
   # Make sure it's gone
-  kube::test::get_object_assert resources "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
+  kube::test::wait_object_assert resources "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
 
   # Test that we can create a new resource of type Foo
   kubectl "${kube_flags[@]}" create -f hack/testdata/CRD/foo.yaml "${kube_flags[@]}"
@@ -1919,7 +1919,7 @@ run_non_native_resource_tests() {
   kubectl "${kube_flags[@]}" delete foos test --cascade=true
 
   # Make sure it's gone
-  kube::test::get_object_assert foos "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
+  kube::test::wait_object_assert foos "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
 
   # Test that we can create a new resource of type Bar
   kubectl "${kube_flags[@]}" create -f hack/testdata/CRD/bar.yaml "${kube_flags[@]}"
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/delete.go b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/delete.go
index 30b1872e3af..043b6bc3a47 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/delete.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/delete.go
@@ -302,12 +302,12 @@ func (o *DeleteOptions) DeleteResult(r *resource.Result) error {
 		found++
 
 		// if we're here, it means that cascade=false (not the default), so we should orphan as requested
-		orphan := true
 		options := &metav1.DeleteOptions{}
 		if o.GracePeriod >= 0 {
 			options = metav1.NewDeleteOptions(int64(o.GracePeriod))
 		}
-		options.OrphanDependents = &orphan
+		policy := metav1.DeletePropagationOrphan
+		options.PropagationPolicy = &policy
 		return o.deleteResource(info, options)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -350,8 +350,8 @@ func (o *DeleteOptions) DeleteResult(r *resource.Result) error {
 }
 
 func (o *DeleteOptions) cascadingDeleteResource(info *resource.Info) error {
-	falseVar := false
-	return o.deleteResource(info, &metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &falseVar})
+	policy := metav1.DeletePropagationForeground
+	return o.deleteResource(info, &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy})
 }
 
 func (o *DeleteOptions) deleteResource(info *resource.Info, deleteOptions *metav1.DeleteOptions) error {
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/delete_test.go b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/delete_test.go
index 38ce65a22c7..55a4d915377 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/delete_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/delete_test.go
@@ -104,17 +104,17 @@ func TestDeleteObjectByTuple(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func hasExpectedOrphanDependents(body io.ReadCloser, expectedOrphanDependents *bool) bool {
-	if body == nil || expectedOrphanDependents == nil {
-		return body == nil && expectedOrphanDependents == nil
+func hasExpectedPropagationPolicy(body io.ReadCloser, policy *metav1.DeletionPropagation) bool {
+	if body == nil || policy == nil {
+		return body == nil && policy == nil
 	}
 	var parsedBody metav1.DeleteOptions
 	rawBody, _ := ioutil.ReadAll(body)
 	json.Unmarshal(rawBody, &parsedBody)
-	if parsedBody.OrphanDependents == nil {
+	if parsedBody.PropagationPolicy == nil {
 		return false
 	}
-	return *expectedOrphanDependents == *parsedBody.OrphanDependents
+	return *policy == *parsedBody.PropagationPolicy
 }
 
 // Tests that DeleteOptions.OrphanDependents is appropriately set while deleting objects.
@@ -127,13 +127,13 @@ func TestOrphanDependentsInDeleteObject(t *testing.T) {
 
 	codec := legacyscheme.Codecs.LegacyCodec(scheme.Scheme.PrioritizedVersionsAllGroups()...)
 
-	var expectedOrphanDependents *bool
+	var policy *metav1.DeletionPropagation
 	tf.UnstructuredClient = &fake.RESTClient{
 		NegotiatedSerializer: unstructuredSerializer,
 		Client: fake.CreateHTTPClient(func(req *http.Request) (*http.Response, error) {
 			switch p, m, b := req.URL.Path, req.Method, req.Body; {
 
-			case p == "/namespaces/test/secrets/mysecret" && m == "DELETE" && hasExpectedOrphanDependents(b, expectedOrphanDependents):
+			case p == "/namespaces/test/secrets/mysecret" && m == "DELETE" && hasExpectedPropagationPolicy(b, policy):
 
 				return &http.Response{StatusCode: 200, Header: defaultHeader(), Body: objBody(codec, &rc.Items[0])}, nil
 			default:
@@ -143,9 +143,9 @@ func TestOrphanDependentsInDeleteObject(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	tf.Namespace = "test"
 
-	// DeleteOptions.OrphanDependents should be false, when cascade is true (default).
-	falseVar := false
-	expectedOrphanDependents = &falseVar
+	// DeleteOptions.PropagationPolicy should be Foreground, when cascade is true (default).
+	foregroundPolicy := metav1.DeletePropagationForeground
+	policy = &foregroundPolicy
 	streams, _, buf, _ := genericclioptions.NewTestIOStreams()
 	cmd := NewCmdDelete(tf, streams)
 	cmd.Flags().Set("namespace", "test")
@@ -156,8 +156,8 @@ func TestOrphanDependentsInDeleteObject(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// Test that delete options should be set to orphan when cascade is false.
-	trueVar := true
-	expectedOrphanDependents = &trueVar
+	orphanPolicy := metav1.DeletePropagationOrphan
+	policy = &orphanPolicy
 	streams, _, buf, _ = genericclioptions.NewTestIOStreams()
 	cmd = NewCmdDelete(tf, streams)
 	cmd.Flags().Set("namespace", "test")
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/delete.go b/pkg/kubectl/delete.go
index 0d1f8a46ea6..adeb829a14a 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/delete.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/delete.go
@@ -211,8 +211,10 @@ func (reaper *ReplicationControllerReaper) Stop(namespace, name string, timeout
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	falseVar := false
-	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &falseVar}
+	// Using a background deletion policy because the replication controller
+	// has already been scaled down.
+	policy := metav1.DeletePropagationBackground
+	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy}
 	return rc.Delete(name, deleteOptions)
 }
 
@@ -282,8 +284,10 @@ func (reaper *ReplicaSetReaper) Stop(namespace, name string, timeout time.Durati
 		}
 	}
 
-	falseVar := false
-	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &falseVar}
+	// Using a background deletion policy because the replica set has already
+	// been scaled down.
+	policy := metav1.DeletePropagationBackground
+	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy}
 	return rsc.Delete(name, deleteOptions)
 }
 
@@ -319,8 +323,10 @@ func (reaper *DaemonSetReaper) Stop(namespace, name string, timeout time.Duratio
 		return err
 	}
 
-	falseVar := false
-	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &falseVar}
+	// Using a background deletion policy because the daemon set has already
+	// been scaled down.
+	policy := metav1.DeletePropagationBackground
+	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy}
 	return reaper.client.DaemonSets(namespace).Delete(name, deleteOptions)
 }
 
@@ -347,8 +353,10 @@ func (reaper *StatefulSetReaper) Stop(namespace, name string, timeout time.Durat
 
 	// TODO: Cleanup volumes? We don't want to accidentally delete volumes from
 	// stop, so just leave this up to the statefulset.
-	falseVar := false
-	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &falseVar}
+	// Using a background deletion policy because the stateful set has already
+	// been scaled down.
+	policy := metav1.DeletePropagationBackground
+	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy}
 	return statefulsets.Delete(name, deleteOptions)
 }
 
@@ -394,8 +402,8 @@ func (reaper *JobReaper) Stop(namespace, name string, timeout time.Duration, gra
 		return utilerrors.NewAggregate(errList)
 	}
 	// once we have all the pods removed we can safely remove the job itself.
-	falseVar := false
-	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &falseVar}
+	policy := metav1.DeletePropagationBackground
+	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy}
 	return jobs.Delete(name, deleteOptions)
 }
 
@@ -415,9 +423,9 @@ func (reaper *DeploymentReaper) Stop(namespace, name string, timeout time.Durati
 		return err
 	}
 	if deployment.Initializers != nil {
-		var falseVar = false
-		nonOrphanOption := metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &falseVar}
-		return deployments.Delete(name, &nonOrphanOption)
+		policy := metav1.DeletePropagationBackground
+		deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy}
+		return deployments.Delete(name, deleteOptions)
 	}
 
 	// Use observedGeneration to determine if the deployment controller noticed the pause.
@@ -459,9 +467,9 @@ func (reaper *DeploymentReaper) Stop(namespace, name string, timeout time.Durati
 
 	// Delete deployment at the end.
 	// Note: We delete deployment at the end so that if removing RSs fails, we at least have the deployment to retry.
-	var falseVar = false
-	nonOrphanOption := metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &falseVar}
-	return deployments.Delete(name, &nonOrphanOption)
+	policy := metav1.DeletePropagationBackground
+	deleteOptions := &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy}
+	return deployments.Delete(name, deleteOptions)
 }
 
 type updateDeploymentFunc func(d *extensions.Deployment)
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater.go b/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater.go
index 084dce74d49..d0a88598652 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater.go
@@ -549,8 +549,8 @@ func Rename(c coreclient.ReplicationControllersGetter, rc *api.ReplicationContro
 	rc.Name = newName
 	rc.ResourceVersion = ""
 	// First delete the oldName RC and orphan its pods.
-	trueVar := true
-	err := c.ReplicationControllers(rc.Namespace).Delete(oldName, &metav1.DeleteOptions{OrphanDependents: &trueVar})
+	policy := metav1.DeletePropagationOrphan
+	err := c.ReplicationControllers(rc.Namespace).Delete(oldName, &metav1.DeleteOptions{PropagationPolicy: &policy})
 	if err != nil && !errors.IsNotFound(err) {
 		return err
 	}