diff --git a/test/e2e/apimachinery/garbage_collector.go b/test/e2e/apimachinery/garbage_collector.go
index e240312f207..11b22e67e3c 100644
--- a/test/e2e/apimachinery/garbage_collector.go
+++ b/test/e2e/apimachinery/garbage_collector.go
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/names"
 	clientset "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
+	clientv1 "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/typed/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/framework"
 	e2edeployment "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/framework/deployment"
 	e2emetrics "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/framework/metrics"
@@ -98,7 +99,9 @@ func getOrphanOptions() metav1.DeleteOptions {
 var (
 	zero       = int64(0)
 	lablecount = int64(0)
+)
 
+const (
 	// The GC controller periodically rediscovers available APIs and syncs running informers for those resources.
 	// If previously available APIs are removed during that resync process, the sync process can fail and need to be retried.
 	//
@@ -108,6 +111,12 @@ var (
 	// This timeout covers two resync/retry periods, and should be added to wait timeouts to account for delays
 	// to the GC controller caused by API changes in other tests.
 	gcInformerResyncRetryTimeout = time.Minute
+
+	// Many operations in these tests are per-replica and may require 100 mutating requests. The
+	// default client QPS of a controller is 5. If the qps is saturated, it will take 20s complete
+	// 100 requests. The e2e tests are running in parallel, so a controller might be stuck
+	// processing other tests.
+	replicaSyncTimeout = 2 * time.Minute
 )
 
 func getPodTemplateSpec(labels map[string]string) v1.PodTemplateSpec {
@@ -380,19 +389,8 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("Garbage collector", func() {
 			framework.Failf("Failed to create replication controller: %v", err)
 		}
 		// wait for rc to create pods
-		if err := wait.PollWithContext(ctx, 5*time.Second, 30*time.Second, func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
-			rc, err := rcClient.Get(ctx, rc.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
-			if err != nil {
-				return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get rc: %w", err)
-			}
-			if rc.Status.Replicas == *rc.Spec.Replicas {
-				return true, nil
-			}
-			return false, nil
+		waitForReplicas(ctx, rc, rcClient)
 
-		}); err != nil {
-			framework.Failf("failed to wait for the rc.Status.Replicas to reach rc.Spec.Replicas: %v", err)
-		}
 		ginkgo.By("delete the rc")
 		deleteOptions := getOrphanOptions()
 		deleteOptions.Preconditions = metav1.NewUIDPreconditions(string(rc.UID))
@@ -449,18 +447,8 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("Garbage collector", func() {
 			framework.Failf("Failed to create replication controller: %v", err)
 		}
 		// wait for rc to create some pods
-		if err := wait.PollWithContext(ctx, 5*time.Second, 30*time.Second, func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
-			rc, err := rcClient.Get(ctx, rc.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
-			if err != nil {
-				return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get rc: %w", err)
-			}
-			if rc.Status.Replicas == *rc.Spec.Replicas {
-				return true, nil
-			}
-			return false, nil
-		}); err != nil {
-			framework.Failf("failed to wait for the rc.Status.Replicas to reach rc.Spec.Replicas: %v", err)
-		}
+		waitForReplicas(ctx, rc, rcClient)
+
 		ginkgo.By("delete the rc")
 		deleteOptions := metav1.DeleteOptions{
 			Preconditions: metav1.NewUIDPreconditions(string(rc.UID)),
@@ -660,18 +648,8 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("Garbage collector", func() {
 			framework.Failf("Failed to create replication controller: %v", err)
 		}
 		// wait for rc to create pods
-		if err := wait.PollWithContext(ctx, 5*time.Second, 30*time.Second, func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
-			rc, err := rcClient.Get(ctx, rc.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
-			if err != nil {
-				return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get rc: %w", err)
-			}
-			if rc.Status.Replicas == *rc.Spec.Replicas {
-				return true, nil
-			}
-			return false, nil
-		}); err != nil {
-			framework.Failf("failed to wait for the rc.Status.Replicas to reach rc.Spec.Replicas: %v", err)
-		}
+		waitForReplicas(ctx, rc, rcClient)
+
 		ginkgo.By("delete the rc")
 		deleteOptions := getForegroundOptions()
 		deleteOptions.Preconditions = metav1.NewUIDPreconditions(string(rc.UID))
@@ -755,18 +733,8 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("Garbage collector", func() {
 			framework.Failf("Failed to create replication controller: %v", err)
 		}
 		// wait for rc1 to be stable
-		if err := wait.PollWithContext(ctx, 5*time.Second, 30*time.Second, func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
-			rc1, err := rcClient.Get(ctx, rc1.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
-			if err != nil {
-				return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get rc: %w", err)
-			}
-			if rc1.Status.Replicas == *rc1.Spec.Replicas {
-				return true, nil
-			}
-			return false, nil
-		}); err != nil {
-			framework.Failf("failed to wait for the rc.Status.Replicas to reach rc.Spec.Replicas: %v", err)
-		}
+		waitForReplicas(ctx, rc1, rcClient)
+
 		ginkgo.By(fmt.Sprintf("set half of pods created by rc %s to have rc %s as owner as well", rc1Name, rc2Name))
 		pods, err := podClient.List(ctx, metav1.ListOptions{})
 		framework.ExpectNoError(err, "failed to list pods in namespace: %s", f.Namespace.Name)
@@ -1134,7 +1102,7 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("Garbage collector", func() {
 
 		// Wait 30s and ensure the dependent is not deleted.
 		ginkgo.By("wait for 30 seconds to see if the garbage collector mistakenly deletes the dependent crd")
-		if err := wait.PollWithContext(ctx, 5*time.Second, 30*time.Second, func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
+		if err := wait.PollWithContext(ctx, 5*time.Second, 30*time.Second+gcInformerResyncRetryTimeout, func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
 			_, err := resourceClient.Get(ctx, dependentName, metav1.GetOptions{})
 			return false, err
 		}); err != nil && err != wait.ErrWaitTimeout {
@@ -1177,3 +1145,28 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("Garbage collector", func() {
 		gatherMetrics(ctx, f)
 	})
 })
+
+// TODO(106575): Migrate away from generic polling function.
+func waitForReplicas(ctx context.Context, rc *v1.ReplicationController, rcClient clientv1.ReplicationControllerInterface) {
+	var (
+		lastObservedRC *v1.ReplicationController
+		err            error
+	)
+	if err := wait.PollWithContext(ctx, framework.Poll, replicaSyncTimeout, func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
+		lastObservedRC, err = rcClient.Get(ctx, rc.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+		if lastObservedRC.Status.Replicas == *rc.Spec.Replicas {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+		return false, nil
+	}); err != nil {
+		if lastObservedRC == nil {
+			framework.Failf("Failed to get ReplicationController %q: %v", rc.Name, err)
+		} else {
+			framework.Failf("failed to wait for the rc.Status.Replicas (%d) to reach rc.Spec.Replicas (%d): %v",
+				lastObservedRC.Status.Replicas, *lastObservedRC.Spec.Replicas, err)
+		}
+	}
+}