I couldn't care less - I'm making great television

Mark Burnett

Survivor is America's biggest reality TV show and ITV will air a UK version from 21 May.

But Mr Burnett is adamant he has not done anything wrong.

He said: "I couldn't care less - I'm making great television."

The Survivor series was set on a remote island with 16 contestants vying to win the $1m (�700,000) prize by voting each other off.

It was during the filming of a swimming race that body doubles replaced the competitors.

The race was restaged using actors so aerial footage from a helicopter could be to taken to avoid the camera crew being in shot.

Conspiracy

They were also used in panoramic shots which were filmed to omit the crew.

The admission comes after speculation and rumours were circulated on the internet.

A spokesman for the CBS show said: "What this means is that those people chasing UFOs and looking for Elvis will probably gravitate back to their Survivor conspiracy theories this week."

The news comes as losing contestant Stacey Stillman prepares to sue CBS, claiming her ousting from the show was rigged.

The 28-year-old lawyer alleges Mr Burnett persuaded others to vote her out, breaking US laws governing television competitions.