diff --git a/src/categories.js b/src/categories.js
index 675eb4a80b..574e435081 100644
--- a/src/categories.js
+++ b/src/categories.js
@@ -64,9 +64,7 @@ var async = require('async'),
 				category.isIgnored = results.isIgnored[0];
 				category.topic_row_size = 'col-md-9';
 
-				plugins.fireHook('filter:category.get', {category: category, uid: data.uid}, function(err, data) {
-					callback(err, data ? data.category : null);
-				});
+				callback(null, category);
 			});
 		});
 	};
diff --git a/src/controllers/categories.js b/src/controllers/categories.js
index 75b80a17d0..06b2b957fa 100644
--- a/src/controllers/categories.js
+++ b/src/controllers/categories.js
@@ -22,12 +22,7 @@ categoriesController.recent = function(req, res, next) {
 
 		data['feeds:disableRSS'] = parseInt(meta.config['feeds:disableRSS'], 10) === 1;
 
-		plugins.fireHook('filter:category.get', {category: data, uid: uid}, function(err, data) {
-			if (err) {
-				return next(err);
-			}
-			res.render('recent', data.category);
-		});
+		res.render('recent', data);
 	});
 };
 
@@ -49,24 +44,22 @@ categoriesController.popular = function(req, res, next) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	topics.getPopular(term, uid, meta.config.topicsPerList, function(err, data) {
+	topics.getPopular(term, uid, meta.config.topicsPerList, function(err, topics) {
 		if (err) {
 			return next(err);
 		}
 
-		data['feeds:disableRSS'] = parseInt(meta.config['feeds:disableRSS'], 10) === 1;
+		var data = {
+			topics: topics,
+			'feeds:disableRSS': parseInt(meta.config['feeds:disableRSS'], 10) === 1
+		};
 
-		plugins.fireHook('filter:category.get', {category: {topics: data}, uid: uid}, function(err, data) {
-			if (err) {
-				return next(err);
-			}
-			if (uid === 0) {
-				anonCache[term] = data.category;
-				lastUpdateTime = Date.now();
-			}
+		if (uid === 0) {
+			anonCache[term] = data;
+			lastUpdateTime = Date.now();
+		}
 
-			res.render('popular', data.category);
-		});
+		res.render('popular', data);
 	});
 };
 
@@ -78,12 +71,7 @@ categoriesController.unread = function(req, res, next) {
 			return next(err);
 		}
 
-		plugins.fireHook('filter:category.get', {category: data, uid: uid}, function(err, data) {
-			if (err) {
-				return next(err);
-			}
-			res.render('unread', data.category);
-		});
+		res.render('unread', data);
 	});
 };
 
diff --git a/src/topics/popular.js b/src/topics/popular.js
index 1f8ff31bf3..ce2182cabf 100644
--- a/src/topics/popular.js
+++ b/src/topics/popular.js
@@ -32,24 +32,21 @@ module.exports = function(Topics) {
 	}
 
 	function getTopics(tids, uid, count, callback) {
-		Topics.getTopicsFields(tids, ['tid', 'postcount'], function(err, topics) {
-			if (err) {
-				return callback(err);
+		async.waterfall([
+			function(next) {
+				Topics.getTopicsFields(tids, ['tid', 'postcount'], next);
+			},
+			function(topics, next) {
+				tids = topics.sort(function(a, b) {
+					return b.postcount - a.postcount;
+				}).slice(0, count).map(function(topic) {
+					return topic.tid;
+				});
+				privileges.topics.filter('read', tids, uid, next);
+			},
+			function(tids, next) {
+				Topics.getTopicsByTids(tids, uid, next);
 			}
-
-			tids = topics.sort(function(a, b) {
-				return b.postcount - a.postcount;
-			}).slice(0, count).map(function(topic) {
-				return topic.tid;
-			});
-
-			privileges.topics.filter('read', tids, uid, function(err, tids) {
-				if (err) {
-					return callback(err);
-				}
-
-				Topics.getTopicsByTids(tids, uid, callback);
-			});
-		});
+		], callback);
 	}
 };