TRAVERSE CITY — As a kid Blake Knoblock fixed things and sold them on eBay.

At 15 years old, it was Xbox video game systems. Today, it’s everything from dish soap to whole pallets of mystery goods.

But more than the reselling itself, Knoblock’s behind-the-scenes look at his world on his “Walter Blake Knoblock” YouTube channel earned him 83,000-plus subscribers and a recent spot on A&E’s new “Extreme Unboxers” show.

The show, which started airing this month, follows a group of reselling entrepreneurs as they buy huge quantities of merchandise without knowing what it is to see whether their bets pay off in a process called “pallet flipping.” New episodes air back-to-back on A&E on Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

Blake is on the show with his younger brother, Max Knoblock.

They are part of a family of four boys well known in the TC area, as three out of four of them graduated from Traverse City Central High School and all were heavily involved in sports and activities.

Blake, now 31 years old, additionally was president of his graduating class and always has been a people-person, said his mom Gretchen Knoblock. It’s no surprise he ended up on television.

“Blake can talk for hours in front of a camera,” Gretchen said. “He was always making videos.”

Blake’s YouTube videos focus on showing people the ropes of the business and tackle everything from “What not to buy to resell on eBay and Amazon” to ethics on “Resellers are Bad People.”

As a teen, he started selling garage sale finds online in the summer, which evolved into full-time work after college. He currently has a 2,000-square-foot warehouse outside Ypsilanti where he bases his reselling business.

“It’s as close as you can get to treasure hunting in 2020,” Blake said. “I just like finding good deals … that’s the part of my personality that really fuels this.”

His popular YouTube channel caught the eye of A&E producers, who reached out last year, and their professionalism set them apart from others who had contacted him before, Blake said. They quickly dispatched a team of 8 people from Los Angeles and wrapped shooting by December before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The A&E show is formatted on twosomes that tackle the business, so while Blake is typically a one-man show, Max jumped in to help.

Max, 24, got his engineering degree from Michigan State University, where he walked onto the track team and still holds the javelin record. He currently works for his parents’ commercial door company downstate.

As a high schooler, Blake coached Max’s fifth-grade basketball team. Their “contrasting personalities” were played up on the show, Blake said.

“He and I are foils for each other — Max is more reserved and contemplative and I’m the loudmouth of the family,” Blake said.

“True to form, Max was quieter,” Gretchen said of her sons’ first appearance on the show this week. All of her sons are hard workers, she added.

“I’ve always said, ‘follow your passion and success will come.’”

Family friend and Traverse City resident Leslie Heimburger thrilled to see the Knoblock brothers on TV and made it her mission to spread the word locally.

While the family moved downstate a few years, many people know them, she said.

“Both boys are tall, very tall, and are hard to miss,” Heimburger said. “But it’s so cool, people don’t get picked for these shows that often, and they are super-nice young men.”

The family keeps a condo in the region. Mom Gretchen and son Max both sell artwork in the area.

Episodes air back-to-back on A&E Tuesdays at 10 P.M. after “What’s it Worth?” with Jeff Foxworthy. Blake also answers questions a few times a week on his YouTube channel.

“It’s as close as you can get to treasure hunting in 2020. I just like finding good deals … that’s the part of my personality that really fuels this.” Blake Knoblock