Controversial American Idol Season 6 finalist Sanjaya Malakar has signed on to star in a series of television promotions for Nationwide Insurance. The good-natured teenager, know for his curly mane of chestnut-brown hair, managed to defy the odds and return to the Idol stage each week despite performances consistenty classified as “horrendous” by judge Simon Cowell and much of the general audience. Sanjaya will debut in Nationwide’s “Life Comes at You Fast” ad campaign later this year, company announced on Tuesday. In the Nationwide commercial, Sanjaya visits a Hindu monastery as is advised by a guru that he needs a retirement plan, as well as some work on his hair.