diff --git a/src/.jshintrc b/src/.jshintrc
index 255ad208..7bb9546e 100644
--- a/src/.jshintrc
+++ b/src/.jshintrc
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
     "assertArgFn": false,
     "assertNotHasOwnProperty": false,
     "getter": false,
-    "getBlockElements": false,
+    "getBlockNodes": false,
     "VALIDITY_STATE_PROPERTY": false,
 
     "skipDestroyOnNextJQueryCleanData": true,
diff --git a/src/Angular.js b/src/Angular.js
index 4039d8c9..5c08e7ab 100644
--- a/src/Angular.js
+++ b/src/Angular.js
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
   assertArgFn: true,
   assertNotHasOwnProperty: true,
   getter: true,
-  getBlockElements: true,
+  getBlockNodes: true,
   hasOwnProperty: true,
 */
 
@@ -1564,23 +1564,20 @@ function getter(obj, path, bindFnToScope) {
 /**
  * Return the DOM siblings between the first and last node in the given array.
  * @param {Array} array like object
- * @returns {DOMElement} object containing the elements
+ * @returns {jqLite} jqLite collection containing the nodes
  */
-function getBlockElements(nodes) {
-  var startNode = nodes[0],
-      endNode = nodes[nodes.length - 1];
-  if (startNode === endNode) {
-    return jqLite(startNode);
-  }
-
-  var element = startNode;
-  var elements = [element];
+function getBlockNodes(nodes) {
+  // TODO(perf): just check if all items in `nodes` are siblings and if they are return the original
+  //             collection, otherwise update the original collection.
+  var node = nodes[0];
+  var endNode = nodes[nodes.length - 1];
+  var blockNodes = [node];
 
   do {
-    element = element.nextSibling;
-    if (!element) break;
-    elements.push(element);
-  } while (element !== endNode);
+    node = node.nextSibling;
+    if (!node) break;
+    blockNodes.push(node);
+  } while (node !== endNode);
 
-  return jqLite(elements);
+  return jqLite(blockNodes);
 }
diff --git a/src/ng/directive/ngIf.js b/src/ng/directive/ngIf.js
index b4c569fe..104423b4 100644
--- a/src/ng/directive/ngIf.js
+++ b/src/ng/directive/ngIf.js
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ var ngIfDirective = ['$animate', function($animate) {
               childScope = null;
             }
             if(block) {
-              previousElements = getBlockElements(block.clone);
+              previousElements = getBlockNodes(block.clone);
               $animate.leave(previousElements, function() {
                 previousElements = null;
               });
diff --git a/src/ng/directive/ngRepeat.js b/src/ng/directive/ngRepeat.js
index 3c6bd4dd..62427471 100644
--- a/src/ng/directive/ngRepeat.js
+++ b/src/ng/directive/ngRepeat.js
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ var ngRepeatDirective = ['$parse', '$animate', function($parse, $animate) {
             // lastBlockMap is our own object so we don't need to use special hasOwnPropertyFn
             if (lastBlockMap.hasOwnProperty(blockKey)) {
               block = lastBlockMap[blockKey];
-              elementsToRemove = getBlockElements(block.clone);
+              elementsToRemove = getBlockNodes(block.clone);
               $animate.leave(elementsToRemove);
               forEach(elementsToRemove, function(element) { element[NG_REMOVED] = true; });
               block.scope.$destroy();
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ var ngRepeatDirective = ['$parse', '$animate', function($parse, $animate) {
 
               if (getBlockStart(block) != nextNode) {
                 // existing item which got moved
-                $animate.move(getBlockElements(block.clone), null, jqLite(previousNode));
+                $animate.move(getBlockNodes(block.clone), null, jqLite(previousNode));
               }
               previousNode = getBlockEnd(block);
               updateScope(block.scope, index);
diff --git a/src/ng/directive/ngSwitch.js b/src/ng/directive/ngSwitch.js
index 1eb1d32a..93e5bfe7 100644
--- a/src/ng/directive/ngSwitch.js
+++ b/src/ng/directive/ngSwitch.js
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ var ngSwitchDirective = ['$animate', function($animate) {
         previousElements.length = 0;
 
         for (i = 0, ii = selectedScopes.length; i < ii; ++i) {
-          var selected = getBlockElements(selectedElements[i].clone);
+          var selected = getBlockNodes(selectedElements[i].clone);
           selectedScopes[i].$destroy();
           previousElements[i] = selected;
           $animate.leave(selected, function() {