diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategy/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategy/__init__.py
index 65b645a3d0c..d1036d4a662 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategy/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategy/__init__.py
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ class StrategyBase:
                 return False
 
         passes = 1
-        while not self._tqm._terminated and passes < 3 and self._pending_results > 0:
+        while not self._tqm._terminated and passes < 3:
             try:
                 task_result = self._final_q.get(timeout=timeout)
                 original_host = get_original_host(task_result._host)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategy/linear.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategy/linear.py
index a843ae57e6a..08b7a52c565 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategy/linear.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategy/linear.py
@@ -266,14 +266,10 @@ class StrategyModule(StrategyBase):
                     if run_once:
                         break
 
-                    # flush the queue if we've got more items than we have workers,
-                    # and read back any results which may have arrived already
-                    if len(items_to_queue) > len(self._tqm._workers):
-                        self._tqm.queue_multiple_tasks(items_to_queue, play_context)
-                        items_to_queue = []
-
-                    if self._pending_results > 0:
-                        results += self._process_pending_results(iterator, one_pass=True)
+                    # FIXME: probably not required here any more with the result proc
+                    #        having been removed, so there's no only a single result
+                    #        queue for the main thread
+                    results += self._process_pending_results(iterator, one_pass=True)
 
                 self._tqm.queue_multiple_tasks(items_to_queue, play_context)