I do not think it’s really possible to consider the preps of Critical Roll to any normal table. Because it’s their job. They can spend time again and again and redoe and recycle and lose work and barely feel it.

We normal DMs do it in our spare time. Not only are we not paid for it one way or another like Matt (which benefits greatly now of his preps per CR’s moneymaking) but our free time is limited as it is. That’s why you shouldn’t over prepare. To not lose whatever preps you managed to squeeze out of your scheduling,

But even keeping encounters just in case is a 5 out of 10 idea. In the sense that where players are, what level they are, what equipment they got, the terrain, type of enemies, etc. is still improvisable in the same quality as adapting a cookie-cutter encounter to where they are would be. At least for me. Recycling and improvising sometimes takes just as long.

I will be saying that if I would be making money out of my preps, I would prep a lot more. And depending on how much money, if it can be enough to live on, I could prep for hours and hours everyday to have every situation covered and not feel it as much when things go in a way where 3 hours of my time go in a puff of smoke.