Dropping to a two-game MTE is the only solution for 5 teams. All teams must play the same number of games, so an odd number of teams doesn't work for three games.
If somebody got booted or voluntarily left to bring it down to 4, that team would only have to add one game to their schedule, as they'd only be able to have a max of 29 without an MTE. Granted, even one game may be difficult to add at this point, but it's easier than adding three.
If we did stick with 5 and drop to two games, we could all add an additional non-MTE game, as we'd still be allowed 31 total. That could involve 4 of the 5 teams from the event pairing up for two non-MTE games.