diff --git a/go/vt/vtctl/reparentutil/emergency_reparenter_test.go b/go/vt/vtctl/reparentutil/emergency_reparenter_test.go
index 63d3d8af325..a3d6f1550c0 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtctl/reparentutil/emergency_reparenter_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtctl/reparentutil/emergency_reparenter_test.go
@@ -2872,7 +2872,7 @@ func TestEmergencyReparenter_findMostAdvanced(t *testing.T) {
 			validCandidates: map[string]replication.Position{
 				"zone1-0000000100": positionMostAdvanced,
 				"zone1-0000000101": positionIntermediate1,
-				"zone1-0000000102": positionIntermediate2,
+				"zone1-0000000102": positionMostAdvanced,
 			},
 			tabletMap: map[string]*topo.TabletInfo{
 				"zone1-0000000100": {
diff --git a/go/vt/vtctl/reparentutil/reparent_sorter.go b/go/vt/vtctl/reparentutil/reparent_sorter.go
index 16eb006179b..35ab99f8233 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtctl/reparentutil/reparent_sorter.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtctl/reparentutil/reparent_sorter.go
@@ -74,14 +74,6 @@ func (rs *reparentSorter) Less(i, j int) bool {
 		return true
 	}
 
-	// We want tablets which are currently running a backup to always be at the end of the list, so that's the first thing we check
-	if !rs.backupRunning[topoproto.TabletAliasString(rs.tablets[i].Alias)] && rs.backupRunning[topoproto.TabletAliasString(rs.tablets[j].Alias)] {
-		return true
-	}
-	if rs.backupRunning[topoproto.TabletAliasString(rs.tablets[i].Alias)] && !rs.backupRunning[topoproto.TabletAliasString(rs.tablets[j].Alias)] {
-		return false
-	}
-
 	if !rs.positions[i].AtLeast(rs.positions[j]) {
 		// [i] does not have all GTIDs that [j] does
 		return false
@@ -96,6 +88,14 @@ func (rs *reparentSorter) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	jPromotionRule := PromotionRule(rs.durability, rs.tablets[j])
 	iPromotionRule := PromotionRule(rs.durability, rs.tablets[i])
 
+	// We want tablets which are currently running a backup to always be at the end of the list, so that's the first thing we check
+	if !rs.backupRunning[topoproto.TabletAliasString(rs.tablets[i].Alias)] && rs.backupRunning[topoproto.TabletAliasString(rs.tablets[j].Alias)] {
+		return true
+	}
+	if rs.backupRunning[topoproto.TabletAliasString(rs.tablets[i].Alias)] && !rs.backupRunning[topoproto.TabletAliasString(rs.tablets[j].Alias)] {
+		return false
+	}
+
 	// If the promotion rules are different then we want to sort by the promotion rules.
 	if len(rs.innodbBufferPool) != 0 && jPromotionRule == iPromotionRule {
 		if rs.innodbBufferPool[i] > rs.innodbBufferPool[j] {