diff --git a/buildscripts/kokoro/gae-interop.sh b/buildscripts/kokoro/gae-interop.sh
index cfd0f3c8cb..29697130bd 100755
--- a/buildscripts/kokoro/gae-interop.sh
+++ b/buildscripts/kokoro/gae-interop.sh
@@ -26,16 +26,12 @@ cd ./github/grpc-java
 ## Deploy the dummy 'default' version of the service
 ##
 GRADLE_FLAGS="--stacktrace -DgaeStopPreviousVersion=false -PskipCodegen=true"
-DUMMY_EXISTS_CMD="gcloud app versions describe $DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION --service=$KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE"
-DEPLOY_DUMMY_CMD="./gradlew $GRADLE_FLAGS -DgaeDeployVersion=$DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION -DgaePromote=true :grpc-gae-interop-testing-jdk8:appengineDeploy"
 
 # Deploy the dummy 'default' version. We only require that it exists when cleanup() is called.
 # It ok if we race with another run and fail here, because the end result is idempotent.
 set +e
-$DUMMY_EXISTS_CMD
-EXIST=$?
-if [[ $EXIST != 0 ]]; then
-  $DEPLOY_DUMMY_CMD
+if ! gcloud app versions describe "$DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION" --service="$KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE"; then
+  ./gradlew $GRADLE_FLAGS -DgaeDeployVersion="$DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION" -DgaePromote=true :grpc-gae-interop-testing-jdk8:appengineDeploy
 else
   echo "default version already exists: $DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION"
 fi