Welcome to the forum. If you're getting offers from a company you didn't contact, that's a good reason to back off from them. That's not the way things usually work unless a scam is involved.
Some of the major companies you can start with are Maritz, Best Mark, Market Force, Bare, and Expert Solutions. Keep signing up until you have all the work you need. Most regular jobs pay $10 to $15 and you are paid only after you have done the work and submitted an acceptable report. Video shopping will pay more and will require an investment in equipment and usually some overnight travel. Other jobs that will pay more are hotels, cruises, time shares, upscale retail, and sometimes fine dining but those jobs will require a large outlay of your own money up front while you wait for reimbursement.
Tell us the name of the company in Knoxville and maybe we can provide some insight.
Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.