Man vs Wild star Bear Grylls is not a real survival expert but rather an "adventure actor" who is scared of crocodiles, according to the Australian who set up his stunts.
Staying Alive Survival Services director Nick Vroomans worked with Grylls, 37, behind the scenes in 2007 while filming a Man vs Wild episode in Western Australia.
"He's not a survival expert, he's an adventure actor," said Vroomans, who lives in Laidley west of Brisbane and trained in the Australian Defence Force combat survival school.
Vroomans said Grylls was petrified of saltwater crocodiles during filming and refused to go near them, mX newspaper reports.
"Bear didn't want to get anywhere near the water, so we filmed a set up of him (like) he was near a crocodile," he said.
Vroomans said he helped set up Gylls' stunts including building his shelters and finding a roadkill snake for him to pretend to slaughter and eat.
He was also forced to keep catching a live snake the adventurer repeatedly dropped.
Grylls has previously admitted his survival show was set up.
He apologised for misleading audiences in 2008 after it was revealed he slept in hotels during filming while telling viewers he was toughing it in the wild.
Grylls' website describes him as "one of the most recognised faces of survival and outdoor adventure".
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